A Jessamy.—1790.
A Choice Spirit. A Buck.
The accompanying illustration will show how far they succeeded. There is an elaborately studied negligence about the coat, and a height about the hat, which could never be of native production, whilst the bludgeon must have belonged to some "Merveilleux," (the class whom Bonaparte so cordially detested), and have been imported direct from Paris. The supercilious look, and the mincing gait, are warranted truly Parisian, and I have very little doubt but that Isaac Cruikshank sketched him from the life.
The term "a Crop," is indicative of Revolutionary and Republican sympathies. Lucius Junius Brutus, and all the ancient Romans, wore their hair cut short—and so we must needs copy them, and have a revolution in hair cutting, just to show the outer world what our thoughts are on the present position of political parties. The elaborate hair of the Macaroni or the Jessamy, or even the negligent, but natural chevelure of the Beau, would not suit Republican simplicity, and, as in our own Commonwealth, the men of the Republic cropped their heads, as a testimony against their political opponents, so did they in 1791. The Duke of Bedford, especially, attracted public attention, by having his hair cut short, and many are the allusions to him, with respect to it, in the public prints.
But with 1792 came another change of fashion, of which we get two views, back and front, and as they are by a lady (Miss Keate), they are probably not caricatured.
Here we see a return to a more natural style of dress, the colours of which, in "Neck or Nothing," are well chosen, and very becoming. Of course the awful cravat is of white cambric or muslin, and he wears a pink underwaistcoat, white over-waistcoat, and knee-breeches, a mulberry-coloured coat, and blue and white stockings; hair powdered.
"A back view of the cape" is not so felicitous as regards colour, being somewhat "prononcé." The coat is green, breeches yellow, necktie yellow, stockings grey, powdered hair, and a liberal supply of powder on the back of the coat.
In order to keep this hair powder on the hair, it was necessary to saturate it with some kind of grease, even if only a tallow dip, or rushlight, were used; but an advertisement in the Times, of 7th February 1793, gives us some notion as to the antiquity of Bears' Grease, which must have been undoubtedly genuine, if the last paragraph can be taken as a fact:—
"JUST KILLED, an extraordinary fine Fat Russian Bear, at Ross's Ornamental Hair and Perfumery Warehouse, No. 119 Bishopsgate Street (late Vickery's), three doors from the London Tavern.