Art Institute of Chicago

Plates four, five, and six from A Harlot's Progress

William Hogarth

Date

1732/61

Medium

Three etchings from three plates, two in red ink and one in olive green ink, on cream wove paper, laid down on off-white laid paper

Culture

England

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Despite the resounding success of A Harlot’s Progress , William Hogarth waited over ten years to release a second edition. Before the implementation of the 1735 Engraver’s Act, he had little recourse to combat plagiarism. This rare unmounted fan leaf is printed with colorful, reduced-scale etchings of the harlot’s entry into the workhouse, final moments, and funeral. A complete fan would have boasted the three earlier scenes on the other side; indeed, the folds in the paper suggest the impression may once have been fitted for use. Hogarth is said to have given such moralizing items to his servants.

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