Bayard Taylor, American
While Some Women Liked To Play It Cool, You Could Usually Tell When Veronica Was Flirting With You, 1862
Illustration
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/// Here’s An Awkward Predicament shown,
of a man and a woman alone.
With no “Heads up” advance,
she just tugs off his pants,
(and it’s not that they need to be sewn).
/// It’s an Icelandic Custom, we’re told.
Even so, she seems shockingly bold.
Is that glee in her eyes?
He shows shock and surprise.
What comes next? What’s about to unfold?
/// It’s a paradox that can’t be beat,
when two Icelanders, both frigid, meet.
Goes against intuition
and defies inhibition—
remove clothing to generate heat.
/// Bayard Taylor is the artist who,
while in Iceland, this odd cartoon drew.
Had this scene taken place?
(The man has Bayard’s face.)
No doubt tourism to Iceland grew.
When researching this illustration I attempted to discover whether there was an actual Icelandic custom which it might be depicting. I did not solve that mystery, but instead discovered something extremely bizarre called Nábrók, or Icelandic Necropants.
/// It’s the ultimate form of bromance—
wear your dead best friend’s skin as your pants.
In the “pouch” stolen coins
to which other wealth joins.
You’d think people would flee at first glance.