Men's Fashion and Satirical Prints in 1799: James Gillray and Elegance Democratique

James Gillray was an influential and popular British artist known for his satirical prints that mocked prominent figures of London society in the latter part of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Like other leading caricaturists of the time, Gillray used both visual and textual clues to parody the people, politics and fashions of the period. Gillray's 1799 satirical print Elegance Democratique is notable for the caption that cites Lord Chesterfield's letters describing the relationship between a man's mind, manners and dress. The subtle visual clues related to dress in this print not only reveal Gillray's knowledge of fashionable dress but also serve to confirm societal attitudes that linked masculinity to nationhood.