The Times, Plate 2

Art Historical Context

William Hogarth’s “The, Plate 2” a compelling example of eighteenth-century British satire, issued in its fourth and final state on May 29, 1790. Although Hogarth had died decades, the enterprising publishers and Josiah Boydell kept his incisive imagery in circulation through new impressions. The print’s modest sheet size—roughly ten by twelve inches—belies the density of detail achieved through etching and engraving, techniques that allowed Hogarth to crowd scenes with expressive figures, animals, and symbolic objects. The work belongs to a pair of plates that comment on political turmoil and social upheaval, deploying the artist’s signature blend of humor and moral observation. Men, women, and dogs populate the composition, each gesture and expression contributing to a lively critique of contemporary events. As a print rather than a unique painting, it reached a wide audience, demonstrating how reproductive media could shape public discourse in Georgian London. Today this impression resides in the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Drawings and Prints, a gift that has preserved Hogarth’s sharp eye for human folly for modern viewers.

About the Artist

William Hogarth|John & Josiah Boydell · 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...