Louis Boitard Hand Coloured Copper Engraving Taste A-La-Mode 1745

Louis Pierre Boitard. Taste A-La-Mode, 1745. Hand coloured copper engraving by F Patton Published September 12th.1745 Price 6d. Presented in an 18th.Century carved ebonised fruitwood frame. Provenance: with Justin Skrebowski. His handwriting to reverse. Some slight foxing to no real detriment.

33 by 24 cms plate. 42.5 by 33 cms overall framed 

Boitard was a draughtsman and engraver; son of François Boitard (1667-1719), born in France; based in London 1709 to 1712 and with whom he probably trained; during 1740s he worked as a journeyman in the studio of the engraver, William Henry Toms, alongside the young John Boydell who recorded that he was addicted to snuff, always indigent and drowned in the New River.

A satire on fashion showing a crowd of people in St James's Park in front of Buckingham House (Buckingham Palace). In the centre is a short, fat women wearing a very 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 woman wearing a dark cloak with a hood, 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 the right; behind her is another young woman wearing a hat with a very large brim. Next are two more young men,wearing large tricorn hats, tight coats the skirts of which open out in pleats below the waist, and high-heeled shoes, one is 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 soldier wearing large riding boots, walks away with a young woman wearing a laced hat. Other figures can be seen in the background.