Art Institute of Chicago
The Sleeping Congregation
William HogarthLinkedCulture matchlcp-4bc0237dded5
- Date
- October 1736
- Medium
- Etching and engraving in black on ivory wove paper
- Culture
- England
- Department
- Prints and Drawings
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Object ID
- 108984
William Hogarth’s scathing indictments of the extremes of the churchgoing community take no prisoners, whether lambasting credulous Catholics or disinterested Methodists. Only the preacher and his attendant clerk here have managed to stay awake this long into the sermon. Most of the audience is snoring, tumbling onto each other in deep slumber. The young lady to the right, with her unguarded décolletage, holds a pamphlet about marriage, which may inspire her dreams. In contrast, the sidelong glance she receives from the clerk suggests his intentions are anything but honorable.
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Provenance & credit
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- Credit line
- The Wallace L. DeWolf and Joseph Brooks Fair Collections
Linked open data
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- Object type
- AAT300041273
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