Have you ever sat and looked through a large book of Beardsley prints with a bunch of really young college students? I did, back when I was in grad school and TAing for Costume Design 1. You can try to prepare them, or you can just let them go in cold and enjoy the hilarious fallout. I chose to warn them that Beardsley is frequently like a dirty ‘Where’s Waldo’, if Waldo were a dong masquerading as a tree. What a lovely forest! Oh, wait, wangs. Oh, look, classical architecture! Nope, johnsons. Does that lady have a small dog in her lap? No, that would be cooch.
Thanks, Beardsley! Your use of line and pattern is exceeded only by your use of dong.
BTW, this post might be a touch NSFW.
It’s a “mushroom.” Really. Really, it is.