Sex, Satire, Vice and Folly in Regency Britain

I went to see Sex, Satire, Vice and Folly in Regency Britain the other day. It's a collection of hand-coloured etchings and aquatints from the early nineteenth-century, with an emphasis on political satire. There's all sorts of interesting stuff, from pictures of ladies at their toilettes, to shots of men looking up women's skirts.

I think it's the kind of show, however, that would really have benefited with more extensive notes/information available. You really had to be familiar with the material to get anything out of it. For example, if you knew that Lady Jersey was the Prince Regent's mistress (at least, for a time), then the print entitled 'The Island of Jersey' makes sense. If you don't, it kind of doesn't. The prints are nothing short of spectacular, though, and a sneaky look through the visitor's book indicated that everybody seemed impressed.

Worth seeing if you can get there (and, um, live in Sydney), but hurry because it comes down this Sunday 5 October.