Propriety Collection

Saucy and silly seaside postcard with cheeky caption
A Young man heads out to sea in a small rowing boat named the Saucy Sue - she instructs him: " Mind you don t goo too far, Darling!

Tango craze: British ballroom version imagined, 1913
" The tango untangled, and made suitable for use in British ballrooms." The Bystander imagines a sanitised version of the tango, suitable for dancing in respectable British ballrooms

The Licensing Question, Sketches at the London County Council (engraving)
1596223 The Licensing Question, Sketches at the London County Council (engraving) by Wilson, Thomas Walter (1851-1912); Private Collection; (add.info.: The Licensing Question)

Propriety behind the Scenes (colour litho)
3648240 Propriety behind the Scenes (colour litho) by Morgan, Matthew " Matt" Somerville (1839-90); Private Collection; (add.info.: Propriety behind the Scenes)

The propriety of the Sunday School versus the impropriety of Cremorne (engraving)
736192 The propriety of the Sunday School versus the impropriety of Cremorne (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info)

Mrs Grundy anywhere about? - A young girl checks before emerging from a beach tent... Mrs Grundy is a figurative name for an extremely conventional or priggish person

The Trew Origin of Trousers by W. Heath Robinson
The First Blush - or the Dawn of the sense of propriety. Heath Robinson imagines that trousers were invented when decency dictated that the legs of Stonehenge be covered up to spare the blushes of

Dancer & Bombay Staff
A dancer performs before a member of the Bombay Staff Corps. It was the disapproval of the British in India which drove Indian dance styles to the brink of extinction

Shady Lady at the Sea
A pretty, unchaperoned lady takes the air, ensuring her complexion doesn t suffer by employing a small parasol. Alas She has caught the attention of two dubious males

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

Saucy Seaside Shenanigans: A Peek into the Tango's Tangled Web (1913) - Dare we tango on the edge of decency, as this saucy seaside postcard suggests? But what about the Tango craze that swept through London's ballrooms, as depicted in this playful engraving? The Licensing Question at the London County Council debated the finer points of propriety, while behind the scenes, colorful lithographs like 'Propriety behind the Scenes' offered a more scandalous perspective. And who could forget the Sunday School versus the impropriety of Cremorne Gardens? But fear not, young lady, as you check for Mrs. Grundy before emerging from your beach tent, the Trew Origin of Trousers by W. Heath Robinson and the Dancer & Bombay Staff remind us that sometimes, a bit of impropriety is just what the doctor ordered. So, let's embrace the shady side of the sea with this enchanting, yet cheeky, sketch of a 'Shady Lady at the Sea'.