Hogarth and His Times: Serious Comedy

William Hogarth (1697-1764) is an artist whose popularity has never waned since his own day. His reputation has been based almost entirely on his prints, although he is now recognized as one of the great painters of the British school. This volume, published to mark the tercentenary of his birth, looks at the varied reactions to Hogarth's prints and the different identities imposed upon the artist over the centuries: witty satirist, stern moralist, libertine, aggressive self-promoter, detached observer, and man of the people.