Lot Essay
On his death in 1764 William Hogarth's work was already widely collected and by the end of the eighteenth century most of the great collections of his prints were formed. These two albums contain early impressions of almost all of Hogarth's prints. These albums are therefore a rare, almost complete document of Hogarth's original graphic oeuvre.
Already during his early career cheap copies of his prints appeared on the market. Hogarth himself contributed to their production, and to the printing of later impressions by selling his own plates from about 1720 onwards. By 1750 J. Bowles, a London publisher, had acquired most of Hogarth's early copperplates. However, in 1732 the artist managed to free himself from printsellers, and kept most of his own, later, plates. Almost all of the plates survived well into the twentieth century, and, due to the large popularity of Hogarth's imagery, many posthumous impressions and copies of his prints were issued. This culminated with the donation of the majority of the plates to the British Government during World War I, which were then melted down for copper to be used in bombs. The remaining copperplates, including those of all the important Progresses, came up for sale in 1921, and some were also sold at Christie's in 1937.
Although Hogarth's imagination best expressed itself in painterly rather than linear representations, he is much more famous for his prints than his paintings. Hogarth derived personal pleasure from painting and used it to work out his ideas, but he found that painting lacked the capacity for reproduction, and that the broad appeal of prints was very important for the success of his 'picture'd Morals'. The conventional styles of printing he adopted were immediately recognizable: they were not only suited to the public he addressed, but also closely related to the subject matters he portrayed. Simple documentary realism served to convey the impression that Hogarth presented the unmediated truth about human nature in such series as A Harlot's Progress. The graceful effect desired for the more sophisticated Marriage à la Mode was, however, achieved with the help of French engravers. After the production of the latter series, the artist entrusted the execution of many of his ambitious engravings to his assistants. Hogarth continued to engrave prints of popular subjects, until he stopped making prints altogether in 1757.
Already during his early career cheap copies of his prints appeared on the market. Hogarth himself contributed to their production, and to the printing of later impressions by selling his own plates from about 1720 onwards. By 1750 J. Bowles, a London publisher, had acquired most of Hogarth's early copperplates. However, in 1732 the artist managed to free himself from printsellers, and kept most of his own, later, plates. Almost all of the plates survived well into the twentieth century, and, due to the large popularity of Hogarth's imagery, many posthumous impressions and copies of his prints were issued. This culminated with the donation of the majority of the plates to the British Government during World War I, which were then melted down for copper to be used in bombs. The remaining copperplates, including those of all the important Progresses, came up for sale in 1921, and some were also sold at Christie's in 1937.
Although Hogarth's imagination best expressed itself in painterly rather than linear representations, he is much more famous for his prints than his paintings. Hogarth derived personal pleasure from painting and used it to work out his ideas, but he found that painting lacked the capacity for reproduction, and that the broad appeal of prints was very important for the success of his 'picture'd Morals'. The conventional styles of printing he adopted were immediately recognizable: they were not only suited to the public he addressed, but also closely related to the subject matters he portrayed. Simple documentary realism served to convey the impression that Hogarth presented the unmediated truth about human nature in such series as A Harlot's Progress. The graceful effect desired for the more sophisticated Marriage à la Mode was, however, achieved with the help of French engravers. After the production of the latter series, the artist entrusted the execution of many of his ambitious engravings to his assistants. Hogarth continued to engrave prints of popular subjects, until he stopped making prints altogether in 1757.