H Beard Print Collection
1824
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1824
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
This print by Isaac Robert Cruikshank pokes fun at two women in the 1820s. It uses a Shakespeare quote to suggest they changed their names to climb high society’s ladder. Published by G. Humphrey, it’s part satire, part gossip in picture form. The joke is sharp: two women’s married names become tickets to privilege. It’s a print, meant to spread fast and raise laughs—or eyebrows. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see it in person.
