A Rake's Progress, Plate 5
June 25, 1735
Medium
Engraving; first state of three
Dimensions
sheet: 13 7/8 x 15 3/4 in. (35.3 x 40 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1932
Accession Number
32.35(32)
Tags
Art Historical Context
**A Rake's Progress Plate 5** is a masterful engraving from William Hogarth's iconic 1735 moralistic series, *A Rake's Progress Created in collaboration with Dr. John Hoadley, who contributed verses, this first-state proof captures Plate 5's satirical scene amid the young rake Tom Rakewell's descent ruin. Dated June 25, 1735, the work measures 13 7/8 x 15 3/4 inches and exemplifies Hogarth's narrative genius, blending sharp social commentary with vivid storytelling in the English satirical tradition. In this bustling composition, Hogarth depicts a motley crowd of men, women, children, and dog...
About the Artist
William Hogarth|Dr. John Hoadley · 1697–1764
William Hogarth (1697-1764) was an English painter, printmaker, and pictorial satirist who became the first great English-born artist to attract admiration abroad. Born into poverty in London, the son of a failed schoolmaster who was imprisoned for debt, Hogarth's early experiences with the harsh realities of 18th-century urban life profoundly shaped his artistic vision. After apprenticing with si...