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Welcome to an almost daily peek at our beautiful Williamsburg, Virginia which includes the "Historic Triangle" consisting of Colonial Williamsburg -the world’s largest living history museum- Yorktown and Jamestown.

July 10, 2011

Macaroni Prints At The Greenhow Store, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia




We went through the Greenhow store in Colonial Williamsburg when family visited recently and saw these "Macaroni" prints.  To be a macaroni was an insult which is why and how the term is used in the song "Yankee Doodle."

One website uses this quote from the book Georgiana by Amanda Foreman to explain the term, as follows:

‘The term ‘macaroni’ was coined to describe the fashionable young fops of the 1770s. The term probably originated in the 1760s when members of the short lived Macaroni club brought attention to themselves by their prediliction for all things foreign, especially food. Macaronis were much criticised in the press. The Oxford Magazine complained: “There is indeed a kind of animal, neither male, nor female, a thing of neuter gender, lately started up among us. It is called a Macaroni. It talks without meaning, it smiles without pleasure, it eats without appetite, it rides without exercise, it wenches without passion.”‘

There seems to a macaroni print available many members of society.

9 comments:

PerthDailyPhoto said...

What an interesting post you two, I love to learn something different each day, gosh they weren't thought very highly of these 'Macaronis'. Wonder what the equivalent would be these days?

Cezar and Léia said...

Very interesting costumes, those "Macaronis" were charming! :)
Beautiful exhibition and wonderful captures!
Léia

Joyful said...

I like the prints. I'm a little dense as I don't understand exactly why they are called macaroni. Is it because they are prints of "fops"?

黄清华 Wong Ching Wah said...

Very interesting story about the "Macaroni" .. thanks !

Birdman said...

I learned something today. Thanks.

Oakland Daily Photo said...

I've always wondered what the term meant. Thanks for the lesson. BTW, are Williamsburg residents granted free entry into the colonial town?

Unknown said...

Now that is interesting!

Living In Williamsburg Virginia said...

Oakland Daily asked a question about admission to the colonial district. Anyone can go through the colonial district without cost. It is about one mile long and a half mile wide. You can go into the stores and see much of what we post about without cost. There is an admission fee to go into the exhibits such as the Governor's Palace, the Capitol and others; for some of the evening programs; or, for some of the reenactment/drama presentations. Colonial Williamsburg has a very generous discount for locals for an annual pass which also gets us discounts on many food and products.

Unknown said...

What a really nice collection!

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