William Hogarth, Self-portrait

Art Historical Context

This etching, titled *William Hogarth, Self-portrait captures the likeness of the renowned 18th-century English William Hogarth (1697–1764), likely reproduced by engraver Samuel Ireland in 1785. Printed on a modest sheet measuring 9 5/16 x 7 9/16 inches, it exemplifies the precision of etching—a technique where acid etches lines into a metal plate for intricate, reproducible prints. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it entered the collection via the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund 1917. Hogarth, a pioneer of satirical art, revolutionized British visual culture with moralistic narrative series like *A Harlot's Progress* and *A Rake's Progress*, blending painting, printmaking, and social commentary. His self-portraits often depicted him at work, palette in hand, symbolizing his identity as a self-taught innovator who challenged the dominance of foreign artists in England. This 1785 version, created posthumously, reflects Hogarth's enduring legacy two decades after his death, as engravers like Ireland preserved his image for wider audiences through affordable prints. A testament to Hogarth's wit and realism, this work invites visitors to ponder the artist's bold gaze and the cultural shift toward accessible art for the middle class, making high art newly democratic.

About the Artist

William Hogarth|Samuel Ireland|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...