A Rake's Progress: pl.7
1735
Medium
etching and engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 36.2 × 41.4 cm (14 1/4 × 16 5/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1944.5.34
Art Historical Context
William Hogarth's *A Rake's Progress Plate 7* (1735) is the seventh installment in his iconic series of eight satirical prints chronicling the tragic downfall of Tom Rake, a young heir who squanders his fortune on vice and folly. Created during the vibrant yet morally charged Georgian era in England, this etching and engraving captures Tom in the grim confines of the Fleet Prison, surrounded by fellow debtors, as his long-suffering wife visits him amid scenes of despair and debauchery. Hogarth's masterful storytelling uses intricate details—like mocking portraits on the walls and symbolic deca...
About the Artist
William Hogarth · 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...