‘The Lady’s Last Stake’ 1759

William Hogarth

William Hogarth (1697-1764) was renowned for his sharply political and satirical compositions, delighting in sketching the characters he encountered in the lively, often unruly streets of London. His best-known works are his “Modern Moral Subjects,” including A Rake’s Progress (1732-34) and Marriage à la Mode (1743 -45), both narrative series that offer a pointed skewering of 18th-century society, presenting a far less romantic vision of London life than that popularised by Bridgerton.

Such was the popularity of his work that, with the rise of industrialisation and advances in printmaking, multiple copies were produced and distributed widely at low cost. To this day, prints after Hogarth’s most famous compositions survive and remain accessible, often available for a fraction of the price of an original painting.