James Gillray’s double-sided etching with aquatint, “The Graces in a High Wind”, 1810

James Gillray (1756–1815)

“The Graces in a High Wind” (aka “The Graces in a High Wind — a Scene taken from Nature, in Kensington Gardens”), 1810, published in London by Hannah Humphrey (aka Hannah Humphreys; Hannah Humphries) (c1745–1818), as plate 578 in a series of satirical prints with this etching parodying the Three Graces of Classical Art—grace, beauty and charm—with three fashionable women dressed in loosely-clinging and semi-transparent white muslin dresses of the Empire/Regency style of the time.

Etching with dot roulette and aquatint on heavy wove paper with a second etching by James Gillray printed verso: “Matins at D-wn-ng College Cambridge”, 1810, plate 580 portraying Sir Busick Harwood and Lady Elizabeth Harwood (née Peshall) smoking in bed (see the description of a hand-coloured version of this print offered by the National Portrait Gallery, London: https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw63129/Matins-at-D-wn-ng-College-Cambridge-Sir-Busick-Harwood-Lady-Elizabeth-Harwood-ne-Peshall).

Size: (sheet) 28.8 x 38.7 cm; (plate) 26 x 36 cm; (inner image borderline) 23.4 x 32 cm.

Lettered in plate above the image borderline: (centre) “1810. London. Published May 26^th. by H. Humphrey, 27 St James's Street.”; (right [stamped?]) “578”.

Inscribed in plate within the image borderline: (lower right) “J Gillray f[ecit]”.

Lettered in plate below the image borderline: (centre) “The Graces in a High Wind — a Scene taken from Nature, in Kensington Gardens.”

British Museum Satires 11593; Wright and Evans 578; Grego, p. 370

See also the description of this print offered on page 480 in Thomas Wright’s (ed.), “The Works of James Gillray, the Caricaturist: With the History of His Life and Times” (1873): https://archive.org/details/worksofjamesgill00wrig/page/480/mode/1up.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers the following description of this print: “Caught in a strong wind during a stroll in Kensington Gardens, three young women wear fashionable neo-classically inspired dresses with high waists and tight sleeves, together with straw bonnets trimmed with ribbons. The weather flattens the fabric against their bodies and leave little to the imagination. The figures are [believed] to represent the daughters of Sir William Manners–Catherine, Emily and Louisa, whose poses and implied nudity, together with the title, evoke sculptures of the Three Graces (such as a Roman 2nd century A.D. example at the Met, 2010.260) while also suggesting that classically styled gowns of this type were impractical choices for England's unpredictable summer weather” (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/853069).

See also the descriptions of this print (as hand-coloured impressions) offered by the British Museum and the National Portrait Gallery: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1935-0522-4-202; https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw63143.

Condition: well-printed impressions (recto and verso) with minor signs of handling to the margins.

I am selling this double-sided sheet of two satirical etchings by James Gillray for the total cost of AU$229 (currently US$151.37/EUR147.63/GBP127.91 at the time of this listing) including postage and handling to anywhere in the world, but not (of course) any import duties/taxes imposed by some countries).

If you are interested in purchasing this shocking—perhaps even today! —satirical comparison between three wind-ravaged ladies dressed in the contour-revealing fashion of the day with the three graces of antiquity, please contact me (oz_jim@printsandprinciples.com) and I will send you a PayPal invoice to make the payment easy.