William Hogarth

William Hogarth painted stories. His best known pictures come in series, like chapters of a novel, that follow a character through vanity, greed and ruin, packed with small details and jokes for the viewer to find.

He was born in London and trained as an engraver before studying painting under Sir James Thornhill. A Harlot’s Progress (1731) and A Rake’s Progress made him famous, and Marriage A-la-Mode (1743 to 1745), now in the National Gallery in London, is his finest set. He was also a sharp portrait painter, as his portraits of the actor David Garrick show. He campaigned for artists’ rights, and the 1735 copyright law for engravers is known as Hogarth’s Act.

In the Marriage A-la-Mode scenes, look at the objects in the room: the paintings on the walls and the clutter on the floor all comment on the couple.