George 'Beau' Brummell

[storeynicholas]

George and his brother painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds;

[marcelo]

from Ian Kelly's Beau Brummell

[storeynicholas]

Brummell in Calais, a cartoon:

[marcelo]

Brummell: the bidimensional, and the tridimensional one.
I suspect the position of the topper was not preserved in the tridimensional version lest it should gather rainwater, or be used as a dustbin by some unenlightened passer-by.

[storeynicholas]

I've just noticed this - and also it must be said that it is unlikely that Brummell would have exposed the lining of his hat as in the cartoon - as though he were collecting coins - because, even when it came to collection of cash, he used the far finer medium of his 'bran bread' begging letters - some of which (the plague and torment of his friends at the time), occasionally come up for auction as nice reminders to us of how the mighty can be fallen - and rehabilitated long, long after.