| Summary: | Lettered with title underneath image, "Dandy’s Toilette. Stays” with publication line underneath: "Pub by Mc Cleary, 32 Nassau St.” and lower right, within plate mark "Plate 2nd". Social satire featuring the depiction of a young man (the dandy of the title), being assisted by his manservant (who stands immediately behind him), engaged in tightening his stays. He wears a voluminous pair of trousers of green coloured cloth, tight narrow black boots, a white shirt with a very high, stiff collar and a neckerchief of white material with a pattern of red dots. On the dressing table is a broadside with the title 'Morning Amusements'; printed underneath this is 'Sig. Girmondi / Dancing Dogs / Monkeys'. [Advertisements appeared in Dublin papers in 1817 and 1818 for 'Signor M. Girmondi's Sagacious Performing Dogs'; see 'The Freeman's Journal' for 19 September, 1817]. As the dandy looks into the mirror on the dressing table, in front of him on the surface of the table are several bottles - a bottle labelled 'Curling Fluid', another labelled 'Musk', one labelled 'Russian Oil', another labelled ‘Otto of Roses’, various brushes, palm soap and a bottle with the label 'Soda Water' can just be seen in the background. Beside the dressing table is a small dog wearing a collar with the word 'Dandy' on it; he looks up at his master. Adjacent to the dog is a chair, on which lies a music score, with the title ‘Quadrille Dances’ visible. A pair of fine yellow kid-skin gloves and a top hat lie on top of the music score, while a thin walking cane is propped up against the chair. On the carpet near the chair, a book lies open on a page with the words ‘Ovids / Art / of / Love’ printed on it. A pair of red slippers, two lasts and a boot jack [also known as a boot pull, a small tool that aids in the removal of boots] lie discarded on the carpet. A jacket in a fabric of bright blue can be seen on a chair in the background; adjacent to this is a table, with a small vase of flowers and a book. Above this, on the wall is a framed print entitled "A Group of well known Dandies", while adjacent to this hanging on the wall is a small bookshelf - the spine titles of some can be seen - two volumes, both entitled 'Cupid'; others are 'Amatory Poems', 'McCres[?] Anacreon' and two copies of a book entitled "Kisses of Secundis" lie at the top and bottom of the book shelf. [The Anacreontic Society was a gentlemen's club of amateur musicians in London founded in the mid-18th century by professional men (the then Prince of Wales was also a member), who named their club after the Greek court poet Anacreon, whose poems, "anacreontics", were used to entertain patrons. The society was known for their interest in music and presented concerts of music and suppers].
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