Inspired by French and Italian art, Hogarth’s main genre was humorous caricatures, frequently with suggestive sexual themes. During his lifetime, several of his well-known series, including “A Harlot’s Progress,” “A Rake’s Progress,” and “Marriage A-la-Mode,” achieved widespread popularity and were printed in large quantities.
Hogarth finished his well-known moral series A Harlot’s Progress in 1731. It tells the tragic story of a peasant girl who becomes a prostitute.
Hogarth created the follow-up, A Rake’s Progress (1733–1735), which depicted Tom Rakewell’s careless life leading up to his internment at Bethlem Royal Hospital.
William Hogarth painted a sequence of six canvases titled “Marriage A-la-Mode,” which was a satire on the flawed marriage customs of upper-class 18th-century society, between 1743 and 1745.
In the 18th-century engravings “Beer Street” and “Gin Lane,” Hogarth juxtaposes a happy metropolis sipping English beer with the social problems brought on by gin’s increasing vogue during the ‘Gin Craze.’
The prints illustrate the negative effects of gin by showing the wealthy and content residents of Beer Street juxtaposed with the destitute, careless, and tragic images of Gin Lane.
Hogarth has had a significant impact on art forms and eras throughout history. Often referred to as the “Lancashire Hogarth,” his prints are widely distributed throughout Europe, demonstrating his influence on John Collier and later artists.