A Harlot's Progress, Plate 4
April 1732
Medium
Etching and engraving; third state of three
Dimensions
plate: 12 5/16 x 15 3/16 in. (31.3 x 38.6 cm) sheet: 13 1/8 x 15 7/8 in. (33.3 x 40.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Sarah Lazarus, 1891
Accession Number
91.1.131
Tags
Art Historical Context
William Hogarth's *A Harlot's Progress Plate 4* (April 1732) is the fourth installment in his groundbreaking series of six satirical prints, trace the tragic downfall of a young country girl seduced into London's underworld. As a master of moralistic narrative art, Hogarth exposed the vices of 18th-century—from prostitution to institutional cruelty—making complex social critiques accessible through affordable prints. This etching and engraving, in its final third state, captures raw human drama with intricate line work, blending sharp detail and dramatic shading to heighten emotional impact. ...
About the Artist
William Hogarth · 1697–1764
William Hogarth (1697-1764) was an English painter, printmaker, and pictorial satirist who became the first great English-born artist to attract admiration abroad. Born into poverty in London, the son of a failed schoolmaster who was imprisoned for debt, Hogarth's early experiences with the harsh realities of 18th-century urban life profoundly shaped his artistic vision. After apprenticing with si...