William Hogarth: Proceed with Caution

The Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin presented a selection of prints by William Hogarth, a celebrated English satirist. William Hogarth: Proceed with Caution, on view October 6, 2012 – January 13, 2013, brought together a selection of the artist’s most important eighteenth-century series including

Marriage à la Mode, 

A Rake’s Progress, 

and Industry and Idleness.

In this exceptional display representing the breadth and dynamism of the artist’s oeuvre, the exhibition imparts a broad understanding of Hogarth’s overarching messages.

William Hogarth (1697-1764) stood at the center of a rich tradition of political and social satire in the first half of eighteenth-century England. Inspired by a period of economic turmoil and social unrest, Hogarth’s exquisitely detailed etchings and engravings function as cautionary tales for his fellow Londoners. His multi-layered, visual narratives unravel stories of virtue and vice; they highlight integrity and merit as a means toward tremendous honor and riches, and emphasize corruption as a path leading to dreadful consequences and disgrace. Hogarth’s critique of contemporary society provides a glimpse into the complexities of life in eighteenth-century London – complexities that strangely mirror those in present-day.

“Hogarth’s message is as valid today as it was over 250 years ago. Today’s society strives to instill the same ethical principles that Hogarth examined in his works,” suggestedCatherine Zinser, Blanton curatorial associate and curator of the exhibition. “This exhibition presents an extraordinary opportunity to see a selection of the artist’s major series, each intended to evoke several layers of society.”

In a fine example of symbolic storytelling, Marriage à la Mode, Hogarth challenges the notion that the wealthy lead virtuous lives. A six-plate progression allows viewers to witness the disintegration of an arranged marriage as a young couple indulges in numerous vices, from gambling and drinking to extramarital affairs. When the husband catches his wife in the midst of an affair, he tries to defend his honor only to die at the hand of his wife’s lover who later hangs for the crime. In the series’ final scene, the widow poisons herself in a fit of grief. Evidence that disease has passed to the next generation is seen in the blemishes of the couple’s young daughter, now an orphan. Hogarth hired French engravers to craft the prints on view in the exhibition, modeled after the artist’s painting series of the same name.

Similar accounts of woe are illustrated in Hogarth’s The Four Stages of Cruelty and A Rake’s Progress, also on view.

Painting the Comic Muse, 1758
Etching and engraving, Paulson 204, fifth state of seven
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2846




Beer Street, 1751
Etching and engraving, Paulson 185, third state of four
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2005.166




Gin Lane, 1751
Etching and engraving, Paulson 186, third state of four
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2005.167




The First Stage of Cruelty, from The Four Stages of Cruelty, 1751
Etching with engraving, Paulson 187, first state of two
Archer M. Huntington Museum Fund, 1991.156




The Second Stage of Cruelty, from The Four Stages of Cruelty, 1751
Etching with engraving, Paulson 188, first state of two
Archer M. Huntington Museum Fund, 1991.157




Cruelty in Perfection, from The Four Stages of Cruelty, 1751
Etching with engraving, Paulson 189, only state
Archer M. Huntington Museum Fund, 1991.155




The Reward of Cruelty, from The Four Stages of Cruelty, 1751
Etching with engraving, Paulson 190, third state of four
Archer M. Huntington Museum Fund, 1991.158




The Fellow 'Prentices at their Looms, plate I from Industry and Idleness, 1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 168, second state of two
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.1/12




The Industrious 'Prentice Performing the Duty of a Christian, plate II from Industry and
Idleness, 1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 169, second state of two
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.2/12




The Idle 'Prentice at Play in the Church Yard, plate III from Industry and Idleness, 1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 170, second state of two
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.3/12




The Industrious 'Prentice a Favourite and Entrusted by his Master, plate IV from
Industry and Idleness, 1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 171, second state of two
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.4/12




The Idle 'Prentice Turned Away and Sent to Sea, plate V from Industry and Idleness,
1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 172, third state of three
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.5/12




The Industrious 'Prentice Out of His Time and Married to His Master's Daughter, plate
VI from Industry and Idleness, 1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 173, fourth state of five
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.6/12




The Idle 'Prentice Returned from Sea and in a Garret with a Common Prostitute, plate
VII from Industry and Idleness, 1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 174, second state of two
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.7/12




The Industrious 'Prentice Grown Rich and Sheriff of London, plate VIII from Industry
and Idleness, 1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 175, second state of two
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.8/12




The Idle 'Prentice Betrayed by His Whore and Taken in a Night Cellar with His
Accomplice, plate IX from Industry and Idleness, 1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 176, third state of four
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.9/12

The Industrious 'Prentice Alderman of London, the Idle One Brought Before Him &
Impeached by His Accomplice, plate X from Industry and Idleness, 1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 177, second state of two
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.10/12

The Idle 'Prentice Executed at Tyburn, plate XI from Industry and Idleness, 1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 178, third state of three
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.11/12




The Industrious 'Prentice Lord Mayor of London, plate XII from Industry and Idleness,
1747
Etching and engraving, Paulson 179, third state of three
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2002.2847.12/12
Gérard Jean-Baptiste Scotin II
Paris, 1698–after 1755
The Marriage Settlement, plate I from Marriage à la Mode, 1745, after



Etching and engraving, Paulson 158, sixth state of eight
The Teaching Collection of Marvin Vexler, '48, 1997.45.1/6
Bernard Baron
Paris, 1696–London, circa 1766
The Tête à Tête, plate II from Marriage à la Mode, 1745, after



Etching and engraving, Paulson 159, fourth state of five
The Teaching Collection of Marvin Vexler, '48, 1997.45.2/6
Bernard Baron
Paris, 1696–London, circa 1766
The Inspection, plate III from Marriage à la Mode, 1745, after



Etching and engraving, Paulson 160, second state of three
The Teaching Collection of Marvin Vexler, '48, 1997.45.3/6
Simon Francis Ravenet, the elder
Paris, 1706–London, 1774
The Toilette, plate IV from Marriage à la Mode, 1745, after



Etching and engraving, Paulson 161, fourth state of four
The Teaching Collection of Marvin Vexler, '48, 1997.45.4/6
Simon Francis Ravenet, the elder
Paris, 1706–London, 1774
The Bagnio, plate V from Marriage à la Mode, 1745, after



Etching and engraving, Paulson 162, fourth state of five
The Teaching Collection of Marvin Vexler, '48, 1997.45.5/6
Gérard Jean-Baptiste Scotin II
Paris, 1698– after 1755
The Lady’s Death, plate VI from Marriage à la Mode, 1745, after



Etching and engraving, Paulson 163, third state of three
The Teaching Collection of Marvin Vexler, '48, 1997.45.6/6




The Heir, plate I from A Rake’s Progress, 1735
Etching and engraving, Paulson 132, third state of three
The Karen G. and Dr. Elgin W. Ware, Jr. Collection, 2004.147.1/8




The Levée, plate II from A Rake’s Progress, 1735
Etching and engraving, Paulson 133, fourth state of four
The Karen G. and Dr. Elgin W. Ware, Jr. Collection, 2004.147.2/8




The Orgy, plate III from A Rake’s Progress, 1735
Etching and engraving, Paulson 134, third state of three
The Karen G. and Dr. Elgin W. Ware, Jr. Collection, 2004.147.3/8




The Arrest, plate IV from A Rake’s Progress, 1735
Etching and engraving, Paulson 135, first state of three
Jack S. Blanton Curatorial Endowment Fund, 2004.148




The Marriage, plate V from A Rake’s Progress, 1735
Etching and engraving, Paulson 136, third state of three
The Karen G. and Dr. Elgin W. Ware, Jr. Collection, 2004.147.5/8




The Gaming House, plate VI from A Rake’s Progress, 1735
Etching and engraving, Paulson 137, second state of three
The Karen G. and Dr. Elgin W. Ware, Jr. Collection, 2004.147.6/8

The Prison, plate VII from A Rake’s Progress, 1735
Etching and engraving, Paulson 138, fourth state of four
The Karen G. and Dr. Elgin W. Ware, Jr. Collection, 2004.147.7/8

The Madhouse, plate VIII from A Rake’s Progress, 1735
Etching and engraving, Paulson 139, second state of three
The Karen G. and Dr. Elgin W. Ware, Jr. Collection, 2004.147.8/8