William Hogarth was born in 1697 to a family of humble means, and brought up in the then rather insalubrious area of Smithfield Market. He was apprenticed to a Silver Plate Engraver after being taken from school early to learn this trade. In 1720 Hogarth enrolled at the Saint Martin’s Lane Academy whilst striving to establish himself as a successful artist of relative autonomy. His career escalated with speed, and in 1729 he eloped and married Jane Thornhill daughter of Sir James Thornhill, a successful painter with whom he trained under briefly. Thornhill quickly forgave his new son-in-law, and their association assisted Hogarth in winning lucrative commissions that set his career on the right path. His early exploration of political satires, combined with his later success as an oil painter, manifested in his acclaimed series Marriage à-la-Mode, The Rake’s Progress and The Harlot’s Progress, and are amongst some of his finest work.
It is for these moralising satires that Hogarth is perhaps best known, drawing on London life and the stratification of class in the eighteenth-century. These engravings not only provide insight into the history of London but also the power of social critique and satire. Hogarth himself became a devoted supporter of the Foundling Hospital, a home for children whose mothers could not care for them, donating many works of art to what would eventually become England’s first public gallery.
Below are a few examples from this collection. Please click on an image to see it in high-resolution with details of the work itself. For the full list of original antique Hogarth engravings available, please do contact us.
![Hogarth: Strolling Players Dressing in a Barn. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 22″ x 17″. [MISCp2959] Hogarth: Strolling Players Dressing in a Barn. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 22″ x 17″. [MISCp2959]](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2959w.jpg?w=315&h=244&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: The Election - Plate II. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 22″ x 15″. [MISCp2917-b] Humours of an Election. Entertainment, Canvassing, Polling and Charing. Satire of the corrupt process of an Oxfordshire MP’s election. Set of four.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2917-bw.jpg?w=315&h=243&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Rake’s Progress – Plate VIII. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2923-h] Set of eight.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2923-hw.jpg?w=315&h=270&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Perspective. 1803. An original antique copper engraving. 9" x 12". [MISCp2989] Frontispiece. Absurdities in perspective.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2989w.jpg?w=597&h=765&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Hudibras - Plate V. 1801. An original antique copper engraving. 14" x 18". [MISCp4074-e] Set of seven.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp4074-ew.jpg?w=313&h=490&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: O The Roast Beef of Old England. 1797. An original antique copper engraving. 19" x 16". [MISCp4792] In 1748 Hogarth was arrested as a spy while sketching the arms of England on a city gate with Francis Hayman. The title is from a popular song in praise of roast beef, symbol of Britain's power and wealth.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp4792w.jpg?w=599&h=490&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: John Wilkes Esq. 1800. An original antique copper engraving. 9" x 13". [MISCp2983] Hogarth: John Wilkes Esq. 1800. An original antique copper engraving. 9" x 13". [MISCp2983]](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2983w.jpg?w=328&h=490&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Rake’s Progress – Plate IV. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2923-d] Set of eight.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2923-dw.jpg?w=584&h=490&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Hudibras - Plate IV. 1801. An original antique copper engraving. 14" x 18". [MISCp4074-d] Set of seven.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp4074-dw.jpg?w=284&h=437&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Analysis of Beauty - Plate II. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 20″ x 16″. [MISCp2992-b] Illustrating Hogarth’s theories on the sources of Beauty. Sold as a pair.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2992-bw.jpg?w=268&h=211&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Marriage a-la Mode - Plate I. 1796. An original antique copper engraving. 17″ x 14″. [MISCp2922-a] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2922-aw.jpg?w=268&h=222&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Cruelty - Plate IV. 1799. An original antique copper engraving. 13" x 15". [MISCp2991-d] Four Stages of Cruelty. Set of four.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2991-dw.jpg?w=356&h=437&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Hudibras - Plate VII. 1801. An original antique copper engraving. 18" x 14". [MISCp4074-g] Set of seven.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp4074-gw.jpg?w=685&h=391&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Beggar’s Opera & A Just View of the British Stage. 1802. An original antique copper engraving. 11″ x 19″. [MISCp2986] Hogarth: Beggar’s Opera & A Just View of the British Stage. 1802. An original antique copper engraving. 11″ x 19″. [MISCp2986]](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2986w.jpg?w=227&h=391&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: A Harlot’s Progress - Plate VI. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2920-f] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2920-fw.jpg?w=588&h=487&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Rake’s Progress – Plate II. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2923-b] Set of eight.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2923-bw.jpg?w=324&h=273&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Taylor's Perspective. 1760. An original antique copper engraving. 10" x 15". [MISCp5313] Hogarth's frontispiece to Brook Taylor's 1715 publication regarding the theory of perspective. A Putto holds an open book revealing it to be Palladio's treatise on architecture whilst gesturing towards a folly in the neoclassical style.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp5313w.jpg?w=324&h=210&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: A Harlot’s Progress - Plate V. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2920-e] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2920-ew.jpg?w=303&h=257&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Rake’s Progress – Plate I. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2923-a] Set of eight.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2923-aw.jpg?w=303&h=255&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Rake’s Progress – Plate III. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2923-c] Set of eight.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2923-cw.jpg?w=609&h=516&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: A Harlot’s Progress - Plate I. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2920-a] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2920-aw.jpg?w=424&h=368&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: The Election - Plate IV. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 22″ x 15″. [MISCp2917-d] Humours of an Election. Entertainment, Canvassing, Polling and Charing. Satire of the corrupt process of an Oxfordshire MP’s election. Set of four.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2917-dw.jpg?w=488&h=368&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Hudibras - Plate III. 1801. An original antique copper engraving. 14" x 18". [MISCp4074-c] Set of seven.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp4074-cw.jpg?w=407&h=617&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: The Politician. 1775. An original antique copper engraving. 11″ x 14″. [MISCp5178] Originally executed for Ebenezer Forrest (d. 1783). A politician sits at a table so engrossed with his newspaper he fails to notice that his hat has caught fire.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp5178w.jpg?w=505&h=617&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Sleeping Congregation etc. 1800. An original antique copper engraving. 16" x 12". [MISCp2985] Sleeping Congregation, Masquerades and Operas, and Columbus Breaking the Egg.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2985w.jpg?w=487&h=367&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: A Harlot’s Progress - Plate II. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2920-b] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2920-bw.jpg?w=425&h=367&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: The Times & A Country Inn Yard. 1800. An original antique copper engraving. 12″ x 19″. [MISCp2984] Hogarth: The Times & A Country Inn Yard. 1800. An original antique copper engraving. 12″ x 19″. [MISCp2984]](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2984w.jpg?w=179&h=268&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Hudibras - Plate I. 1801. An original antique copper engraving. 14" x 18". [MISCp4074-a] Set of seven.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp4074-aw.jpg?w=181&h=268&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Marriage a-la Mode - Plate IV. 1796. An original antique copper engraving. 17″ x 14″. [MISCp2922-d] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2922-dw.jpg?w=333&h=268&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Shrimps! 1782. An original antique mixed method engraving. 8" x 11". [MISCp5315] This engraving by Bartolozzi depicts Hogarth's renowned painting, 'Shrimp Girl'. After his death, his wife used this painting to demonstrate Hogarth's skill as a painter of flesh.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp5315w.jpg?w=211&h=268&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Hudibras - Plate II. 1801. An original antique copper engraving. 14" x 18". [MISCp4074-b] Set of seven.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp4074-bw.jpg?w=418&h=652&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Five Orders of Perriwigs. 1761. An original antique copper engraving. 14" x 17". [MISCp5314] Hogarth divides the periwigs into five categories to parody the the five orders outlined in Palladian architecture.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp5314w.jpg?w=494&h=652&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Marriage a-la Mode - Plate II. 1796. An original antique copper engraving. 17″ x 14″. [MISCp2922-b] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2922-bw.jpg?w=281&h=233&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Marriage a-la Mode - Plate III. 1796. An original antique copper engraving. 17″ x 14″. [MISCp2922-c] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2922-cw.jpg?w=281&h=228&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Seduction - Plate I. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 13" x 17". [MISCp3988-a] Before and After. Almost by chance Hogarth had hit on the pictorial form that was to make his reputation. Hogarth was always the businessman, and this quick success gave him a golden idea: instead of depicting lively scenes from another man's play, why not imagine scenes of his own suitable for picturing. Thus began Hogarth's career in dramatic narrative. His first attempt, in 1731, was a pair of paintings entitled Before and After, illustrating a seduction. Said to have been commissioned by "a certain vicious nobleman", the pictures nevertheless contain an element of moralising in that the man in After looks somewhat dazed and unhappy despite his lustful conquest. Sold as a pair.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp3988-aw.jpg?w=369&h=465&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Bathos. 1808. An original antique copper engraving. 14" x 13". [MISCp2915] Reference to allegorical depictions of death and decline.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2915w.jpg?w=258&h=237&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: The Good Samaritan. 1777. An original antique copper engraving. 18" x 24". [MISCp5312] Hogarth's depiction of this biblical tale engraved by John Boydell reveals Hogarth's desire to be viewed as an academic painter, working within the genre of moral painting. Strong Impression.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp5312w.jpg?w=258&h=224&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Bambridge on Trial. 1799. An original antique copper engraving. 21" x 17". [MISCp3919] Bambridge on Trial for Murder by a Committee of the House of Commons.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp3919w.jpg?w=400&h=323&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Midnight Modern Conversation. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 18" x 14". [MISCp5383] Hogarth: Midnight Modern Conversation. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 18" x 14". [MISCp5383]](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp5383w.jpg?w=400&h=306&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Cruelty - Plate III. 1799. An original antique copper engraving. 13" x 15". [MISCp2991-c] Four Stages of Cruelty. Set of four.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2991-cw.jpg?w=512&h=633&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: A Medley. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 14" x 18". [MISCp3922] Credulity, Superstition and Fanaticism. A satire of religious fanaticism, particularly relating to Methodists.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp3922w.jpg?w=585&h=728&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Rake’s Progress – Plate V. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2923-e] Set of eight.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2923-ew.jpg?w=327&h=275&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Analysis of Beauty - Plate I. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 20″ x 16″. [MISCp2992-a] Illustrating Hogarth’s theories on the sources of Beauty. Sold as a pair.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2992-aw.jpg?w=327&h=260&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Hudibras - Plate VI. 1801. An original antique copper engraving. 18" x 14". [MISCp4074-f] Hogarth: Hudibras - Plate VI. 1801. An original antique copper engraving. 18" x 14". [MISCp4074-f]](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp4074-fw.jpg?w=327&h=185&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: The Election - Plate I. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 22″ x 15″. [MISCp2917-a] Humours of an Election. Entertainment, Canvassing, Polling and Charing. Satire of the corrupt process of an Oxfordshire MP’s election. Set of four.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2917-aw.jpg?w=625&h=478&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: A Harlot’s Progress - Plate IV. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2920-d] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2920-dw.jpg?w=287&h=240&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Marriage a-la Mode - Plate VI. 1796. An original antique copper engraving. 17″ x 14″. [MISCp2922-f] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2922-fw.jpg?w=287&h=234&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Rake’s Progress – Plate VII. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2923-g] Set of eight.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2923-gw.jpg?w=539&h=459&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Cruelty - Plate I. 1799. An original antique copper engraving. 13" x 15". [MISCp2991-a] Four Stages of Cruelty. Set of four.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2991-aw.jpg?w=373&h=459&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Seduction - Plate II. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 13" x 17". [MISCp3988-b] Before and After. Almost by chance Hogarth had hit on the pictorial form that was to make his reputation. Hogarth was always the businessman, and this quick success gave him a golden idea: instead of depicting lively scenes from another man's play, why not imagine scenes of his own suitable for picturing. Thus began Hogarth's career in dramatic narrative. His first attempt, in 1731, was a pair of paintings entitled Before and After, illustrating a seduction. Said to have been commissioned by "a certain vicious nobleman", the pictures nevertheless contain an element of moralising in that the man in After looks somewhat dazed and unhappy despite his lustful conquest. Sold as a pair.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp3988-bw.jpg?w=370&h=460&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Rake’s Progress – Plate VI. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2923-f] Set of eight.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2923-fw.jpg?w=542&h=460&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Lottery. 1803. An original antique copper engraving. 13" x 11". [MISCp2924] Hogarth: Lottery. 1803. An original antique copper engraving. 13" x 11". [MISCp2924]](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2924w.jpg?w=491&h=393&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: The Election - Plate III. c1800. An original antique copper engraving. 22″ x 15″. [MISCp2917-c] Humours of an Election. Entertainment, Canvassing, Polling and Charing. Satire of the corrupt process of an Oxfordshire MP’s election. Set of four.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2917-cw.jpg?w=491&h=379&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Sarah Malcolm and The Bench. 1802. An original antique copper engraving. 9" x 17". [MISCp2988] Hogarth: Sarah Malcolm and The Bench. 1802. An original antique copper engraving. 9" x 17". [MISCp2988]](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2988w.jpg?w=421&h=776&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Dunciad. 1797. An original antique copper engraving. 16" x 14". [MISCp2913] Book I line III. Domestic scene of garret poverty.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2913w.jpg?w=607&h=521&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: France. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 17" x 14". [MISCp2921] Vengence et le Bon Bier et Bon Boef de Angleterre.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2921w.jpg?w=305&h=254&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: A Harlot’s Progress - Plate III. 1798. An original antique copper engraving. 16″ x 14″. [MISCp2920-c] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2920-cw.jpg?w=305&h=263&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Marriage a-la Mode - Plate V. 1796. An original antique copper engraving. 17″ x 14″. [MISCp2922-e] Set of six.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2922-ew.jpg?w=542&h=444&ssl=1)
![Hogarth: Cruelty - Plate II. 1799. An original antique copper engraving. 13" x 15". [MISCp2991-b] Four Stages of Cruelty. Set of four.](https://i0.wp.com/prints.themaphouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/MISCp2991-bw.jpg?w=370&h=444&ssl=1)
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