Mark Hallett explores the first of Hogarth’s great pictorial series, A Harlot’s Progress, which he painted and published in the early 1730s. This set of six pictures, which told the pitiful story of a fictional prostitute, Moll Hackabout, caused a sensation. In this lecture, Mark introduces Hogarth himself, sketches out the background to the Progress, and suggests some of the reasons why this work made such a dramatic impact.
William Hogarth was an English painter and printmaker. Born in London in 1697, Hogarth went on to undertake an apprenticeship as an engraver, which he later abandoned. He is most noted for his serialised works satirising society and morality. His works became hugely popular due to the mass production and distribution of his etchings. In this series, Mark Hallett (Director of Studies, Paul Mellon Centre), Meredith Gamer (Assistant Professor, Columbia University), and Elizabeth Robles (Lecturer, University of Bristol) will introduce you to Hogarth and his most noted works.
Shot and edited by Jonathan Law
Music by Daniel Birch, 'Sustained Light', 2021, CC BY 4.0