"archers", an april 1799 "pin-up" type print, engraved after a drawing by adam buck, and with a dedication to the prince regent. At the time, archery was one of the few competitive sports that adult women of the "genteel" classes could respectably engage in (others were battledore/shuttlecock -- a precursor to badminton -- and for a tiny social elite, old-fashioned "court tennis"). For discussion of ca. 1800 "pin-up" prints, see image description page image:1800-jumprope-pinup-sophia-western. Jpg. What might not be obvious from a 21st-century point of view is that in 1799 the loosely-flowing unbound hair of the two ladies on the left would have been somewhat titillating in the eyes of the males of the day. At the time, grown-up women did not leave their hair completely free-flowing in public (but generally covered, ornamented, or confined their hair in some way, usually binding it up in back), so that unbound hair had a sexual charge because it was associated with the intimacy or privacy of the boudoir. For a more sober depiction of women archers, see file:1823 royal british bowmen archery club. Jpg. Date: April 1799.
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