William Hogarth

Born in London to a poor Latin teacher, Hogarth's experience of his father's imprisonment for debt significantly influenced the hard-edged realism and social commentary in his work.¹

Apprenticed to engraver Ellis Gamble, he learned to engrave trade cards and coats of arms, providing the technical foundation for mass-producing his later works as prints for the public.¹

He produced satirical works on the South Sea Bubble stock market crash of 1720, depicting a disordered crowd to sharply criticize the foolishness of British society's speculative frenzy.¹

He studied at the drawing school of Sir James Thornhill, the Serjeant Painter, and was influenced by his grand decorative schemes, later marrying Thornhill's daughter.¹

In 1727, after a client refused payment claiming he was 'an engraver, and no painter,' Hogarth won a lawsuit that became a turning point in establishing his status as a painter.¹

From around 1728, he honed his skills as an oil painter by creating 'conversation pieces,' which were small-scale group portraits of families or social gatherings.¹

Published in 1731, 'A Harlot's Progress' was a series depicting a woman's downfall in the city; this 'modern moral subject' format earned him national popularity.¹

In 'A Rake's Progress,' he used eight pictures to depict a wealthy son's ruin through luxury and gambling, ending in a mental hospital, serving as a moral warning against profligacy.¹