"Monstrosities" of 1799,-Scene, Kesington Gardens. (BM 1851,0901.987)

Two ladies (left) walk arm-in-arm to the left; a good-looking man, extravagantly dressed, stands (right) legs apart, head turned to inspect them as if they were strange specimens. One, short and fat, wears a round straw cap over a shock of hair which covers her eyes, she holds up a small jointed parasol to shield her face. The other, taller, wears a shovel-shaped scoop of straw tied to her head and projecting far beyond her face. Both have bare arms with long gloves, and transparent draperies which define the figure. The man wears an exaggerated Jean de Bry coat with high inflated sleeves, cut above the waist in front, with tails which show between his legs. A high swathed neck-cloth covers his chin and sets off bushy whiskers. His boots have high tasselled fronts above the knee and elongated toes. There is a background of trees with three other figures similarly dressed, one wears striped trousers of nautical cut instead of boots and pantaloons. 25 June 1799
Hand-coloured etching