'Living Made Easy', print, London, England, 1830
The ‘revolving hat’ shown here is a caricature of the accessories a fashionable gentleman in the 1830s should possess. The hat removes the ‘intolerable trouble of holding them’. That's why the print’s name is ‘Living Made Easy.’ The accessories include spectacles, hearing trumpet, a scent box and a cigar. Spectacles and eyeglasses were functional and fashionable. They existed in different varieties and designs. A range of materials was used. Varieties included a quizzer eyeglass like the man on the right is looking through. The scent box is probably a form of pomander filled with sweet smelling herbs. These were believed to protect against disease spread by foul smells and miasma.
Object number:
1986-264
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: single eyeglass - quizzing
Eyeglasses consisting of a single lens in frame with long handle, but without nosepiece, used to compensate for defective vision in one eye. Handle usually fitted with ring for carrying ribbon or cord.
Glossary: print
Pictorial works produced by transferring images by means of a matrix such as a plate, block, or screen, using any of various printing processes. When emphasizing the individual printed image, use "impressions." Avoid the controversial expression "original prints," except in reference to discussions of the expression's use. If prints are neither "reproductive prints" nor "popular prints," use just "prints."
Glossary: hearing trumpet
No description.
Glossary: pomander
Small containers for fragrant spices or perfumes. A pomander was originally carried in the belief that it kept infection away.
Glossary: caricature
A representation that exaggerates certain features or characteristics to humorous effect.
Glossary: satire
An artistic form where human actions and errors are mocked.