As one of Britain’s most influential artists, known for his satirical and moralistic paintings and engravings, William Hogarth held a mirror up to society, providing a unique window into 18th-century life. His sequential works, including A Harlot’s Progress, A Rake’s Progress, and Marriage A-la-Mode, remain some of the best known narratives of the period.
Early Life and Career
Hogarth was born in London in 1697 to a modest family. His father, Richard, was a Latin teacher and textbook writer, and the family struggled financially – his father spent five years in debtors’ prison after a failed attempt to open a Latin-speaking coffee house. Despite these hardships, Hogarth’s artistic talent emerged early, and he was apprenticed to a silver engraver, where he developed a talent for etching and engraving.
In the 1720s, he began producing his own works, initially focusing on book illustrations before moving on to painting. Early satirical prints, with their cutting social commentary, quickly gained popularity, and he established himself as a leading figure of his time.
Hogarth’s Satirical Art
Hogarth was a keen observer of society. Favourite subjects were the moral corruption, hypocrisy, and vices of 18th-century London, which he approached with a unique and provocative humour. His series A Harlot’s Progress (1732) and A Rake’s Progress (1733–1735) are cautionary tales of individuals who fall into moral decline.
The Rake’s progress follows the decline and fall of a wealthy merchant’s son who wastes his money on drink, prostitution and gambling, ending his days in debtors’ prison and a descent into mental illness at the notorious ‘Bedlam’ psychiatric hospital. Intricate details, cartoonish expressions and a sharp with were all deployed to highlight the stark contrast between social classes, and between wealth and poverty.
And the later Marriage A-la-Mode (1743–1745), satirised the practice of arranged marriages among the wealthy, where greed and vanity lead to disaster.
A home in Chiswick
In 1749, he purchased a large house in Chiswick, which at the time was a rural village retreat away from the pollution and chaos of central London to the east. Hogarth’s House, as it is now known, became his sanctuary, where he spent time with his wife, Jane, and found inspiration for his work.
Hogarth’s House is still a major destination in Chiswick. Now a museum, it offers visitors insight into his life, work, and the 18th-century world he so vividly depicted. The house features exhibitions of his prints, paintings, and personal belongings, as well as a charming walled garden that has been restored to its original design.
Hogarth’s Legacy
Hogarth was pivotal in the development of copyright laws, campaigning for the groundbreaking Engravers’ Copyright Act (1735), known as ‘Hogarth’s Act’, which protected artists’ rights over their work. The act ensured that artists could benefit financially from their creations and preventing unauthorised reproductions.
His approach to visual storytelling also influenced later generations of artists and caricaturists. Even today, his work resonates with modern audiences, as his themes of corruption, greed, and social injustice remain relevant.
St. Nicholas Church in Chiswick is the final resting place of Hogarth and his family. His impressive tomb bears an inscription that honours his contributions to art and society.