Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
William Hogarth (1697-1764)
Hogarth loved the theater. “My picture is my stage,” he said, “and my men and women my
players.” The curtain goes up, and we see one scene that tells a whole story, often satirizing
English high society. The London theater scene came into its own (after post-Shakespeare
censorship) during Hogarth's generation. He often painted series based on popular plays
of the time.
A born Londoner, Hogarth loved every gritty aspect of the big city. You'd find him in
seedy pubs and brothels, at the half-price ticket booth in Leicester Square, at prizefights,
cockfights, duels, and public executions—all with sketchbook in hand. An 18th-century
Charles Dickens, he exposed the hypocrisy of fat-bellied squires, vain ladies, and glutton-
ous priests. He also gave the upper classes a glimpse into the hidden poverty of “merry
olde England”—poor soldiers with holes in their stockings, overworked servants, and un-
wed mothers.
Hogarth's portraits (and self-portraits) are unflinchingly honest, quite different from
the powdered-wig fantasies of his contemporaries. Hogarth was an accomplished en-
