Taste a-la-mode, 1745 [graphic]

"Satire on fashion showing a crowd of people in St James's Park in front of Buckingham House. In the centre is a short, fat women wearing a large hooped skirt and saque, a lace cap and black lace mittens, and carrying a closed fan. On the left a young country gentleman, wearing a quilted waistcoat and holding a riding whip, is arm in arm with fashionably dressed man who seems to be showing him the promenade, they both wear breeches that end above the knee and high-heeled shoes with large tongues; the latter leers at a young woman, apparently a prostitute, wearing a straw hat with a soft brim who lifts her huge hooped skirt to reveal her ankle. She is walking with another young woman wearing a dark cloak with a hood; she wears a small cap and her hair is dressed in ringlets. In the centre, behind the fat woman, two men embrace, one of whom wears an eye patch. Another young woman, dressed in a similar fashion to the fat woman, stands to her right; behind her is another young woman wearing a hat with a very large brim. Next are two more young men,wearing large tricorne hats, tight coats the skirts of which open out in pleats below the waist, and high-heeled shoes one apparently pointing out matters of interest to the other who is possibly a young officer as he wears a sword and a cockade in his hat; his hair or wig is dressed in a large bag-wig. On the far right, a soldeir wearing large riding boots, walks away with a young woman wearing a laced hat."--British Museum online catalogue