The Times, Plate 2
May 29, 1790
Medium
Etching and engraving; fourth state of four
Dimensions
sheet: 9 15/16 x 12 5/16 in. (25.3 x 31.3 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(66)
Tags
About this artwork
This politically charged satirical print has a fascinating posthumous publication history. Designed and engraved by William Hogarth (1697–1764), Plate 2 of 'The Times' was begun as a companion to the first plate but remained incomplete at the artist's death. Hogarth created the initial plate to satirize British politics during the Seven Years' War, specifically addressing the 1762 resignation of William Pitt and showing support for the controversial ministry of the Earl of Bute. However, when Pa...
About the Artist
William Hogarth|John & Josiah Boydell · 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...