Evening, or A Man of Feeling 1802 - 1811

Henry William Bunbury made this hand-colored etching called Evening, or A Man of Feeling, sometime in the late 1700s. Bunbury was a celebrated caricaturist in England, who lampooned the fads and fashions of the time. The scene presents an overcrowded domestic interior, with a raucous dinner party underway. A young boy is being forced to remove the boots of one of the seated men. A maid stands by with a warming pan, readying the bed for her master. Yet the looks on the faces of the figures at the table suggest anything but domestic tranquility. The print ridicules the fashions of the day, such as the towering wigs worn by the gentry or the clumsy boots sported by country squires. Bunbury's satires played an important public role in shaping contemporary attitudes toward class and social mobility. Art historians rely on sources such as periodicals and fashion plates to understand the artist's cultural references. In this way, we can see the image as both a humorous and critical commentary on the structures of 18th century English society.