A Rake's Progress is a series of eight paintings by 18th century
EnglishEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
artist
William HogarthWilliam Hogarth was a major English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from excellent realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral...
. The canvases were produced in 1732–33 then engraved and published in print form in 1735. The series shows the decline and fall of
Tom RakewellA rake is defined as a man that is habituated to immoral conduct. Rakes are frequently stock characters in novels. Often a rake is a man who wastes his fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, incurring lavish debts in the process...
, the
spendthriftA spendthrift is someone who spends money prodigiously and who is extravagant and recklessly wasteful. The origin of the word is someone who is able to spend money acquired by the thrift of predecessors or ancestors....
son and heir of a rich merchant, who comes to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, wastes all his money on luxurious living,
prostitutionProstitution is the act or practice of engaging in sex acts for hire. In most cultures, prostitution is viewed by many as a deviant profession, either illegal or socially discouraged...
and
gamblingGambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods. Typically, the outcome of the wager is evident within a short period....
, and as a consequence is
imprisonedA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Other terms are penitentiary, correctional facility, and jail , although in the United States "jail" and "prison" refer to different subtypes of correctional facility...
in the
Fleet PrisonFleet Prison was a notorious London prison. It was built in 1197 and situated off what is now Farringdon Street, on the eastern bank of the Fleet River after which it was named...
and ultimately
BedlamThe Bethlem Royal Hospital of London is a psychiatric hospital in Beckenham, south east London. Although no longer in its original location and buildings, it is recognised as the world's first and oldest institution to specialise in the mentally ill. It has been variously known as St...
. The original paintings are currently in the collection of the Soane Museum in London.
Depictions
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In the first painting, Tom has come into his fortune Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
on the death of his miserly father. While the servants mourn, he is being measured for new clothes. He is also rejecting the hand of his pregnant fiancée, Sarah Young, whom he had promised to marry (she is holding his ringA wedding ring or wedding band consists of a metal ring. In certain countries it is worn on the base of the left ring finger. In other parts of the world, it is worn on the right ring finger ....
and her mother is holding his love letters). He will pay her off, but it is clear that she still loves him. |
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In the second painting, Tom is at his morning levéeLever , adopted in English as levée— initially the simple act of getting up in the morning— was raised to a ceremonial custom at the court of Louis XIV...
in London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, attended by musicians and other hangers-on all dressed in expensive costumes. Surrounding Tom from left to right: a music master at a harpsichord; a fencing master; a quarterstaffA quarterstaff is a medieval English weapon, a shaft of hardwood, sometimes with metal tips. The name is also used for the fighting staves such as the Japanese bō, Chinese gùn, or French bâton, Portuguese pau and Italian bastone....
instructor; a dancing master with a violin; an landscape architect; an ex-soldier offering to be a bodyguard; a bugler of a fox hunt club. At lower right is a jockey with a silver trophy. The instructor looks disapprovingly on both the fencing and dancing masters. Both masters appear to be in the "French" style, which was a subject Hogarth loathed. |
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The third painting depicts a wild party or orgy {Two other uses|ancient Greek gathering|sex orgy|Group seIn Ancient Greek religion, an orgy was a secret nighttime cultic congregation overseen by an orgiophant .-The Greek orgia:...
under way at a brothelA brothel, also known as a bordello, cathouse, whorehouse, sporting house and various other euphemisms, is an establishment specifically dedicated to prostitution, providing the prostitutes a place to meet and to have sexual intercourse with clients.-Legality:Today, brothels are illegal in the vast...
. The whores are stealing the drunken Tom's watch. On the floor is a night watchman's staff and lantern. |
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In the fourth, he narrowly escapes arrest for debt Debt is that which is owed; usually referencing assets owed, but the term can also cover moral obligations and other interactions not requiring money. In the case of assets, debt is a means of using future purchasing power in the present before a summation has been earned...
by Welsh bailiffs as he travels in a sedan chairThe litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of persons. Examples of litter vehicles include jiao , sedan chairs , palanquin , gama and tahtırevan...
to a party at St. James's PalaceSt. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated in Pall Mall, just north of St. James's Park. Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it is considered the most senior royal palace in the UK and gives its name to the Royal Court St. James's Palace is...
to celebrate Queen CarolineCaroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach was the queen consort of King George II of Great Britain.-Early life:...
's birthday on Saint David's DaySaint David's Day is the feast day of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales, and falls on 1 March each year.The date of March 1st was chosen in remembrance of the death of Saint David on that day in 589, and has been celebrated by followers since then...
(Saint David is the patron saint of Wales). On this occasion he is saved by the intervention of Sarah Young, the girl he had earlier rejected; she is apparently a dealer in millineryMillinery refers to hats and other clothing sold by a hatter or to the profession or business of designing, making, or selling hats, dresses, and hat trim. It can also be used to refer to a type of store that sells those goods....
. In comic reliefComic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension.-Definition:...
, a man filling a street lantern spills the oil on Tom's head. This is a sly reference to how blessings on a person were accompanied by oil poured on the head. In this case the "blessing" being the "saving" of Tom by Sarah, although Rakewell, being a rakeA rake is defined as a man that is habituated to immoral conduct. Rakes are frequently stock characters in novels. Often a rake is a man who wastes his fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, incurring lavish debts in the process...
, will not take the moral lesson to heart. In the engraved version, lighting flashes in the sky and a young pickpocket has just emptied Tom's pocket. The painting, however, shows the young thief stealing Tom's cane and has no lightning. |
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In the fifth, Tom attempts to salvage his fortune by marrying a rich but aged and ugly old maidOld maid, queen of spades, or chase the ace is a card game for two to eight players. It takes its name from the expression "old maid", meaning a single, usually elderly, woman. The game most likely originated in China or India.-How to play:...
at St MaryleboneSt Marylebone Parish Church is a church in London, from which Marylebone gets its name.-First church:The first church for the parish was built in the vicinity of the present Marble Arch c.1200, and dedicated to St John the Evangelist.-Second church:In 1400 this was demolished and a new church St...
. In the background Sarah arrives holding their child while her indignant mother struggles with a guest. |
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The sixth painting shows Tom pleading for the assistance of the AlmightyGod is a deity in theistic and deistic religions and other belief systems, representing either the sole deity in monotheism, or a principal deity in polytheism....
in a gambling denA casino is a facility that houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships and other tourist attractions...
after losing his "new fortune." Neither he nor the other obsessive gamblers seem to have noticed a fire breaking out behind them. |
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All is lost by the seventh painting, and Tom is incarcerated in the notorious Fleet Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison. It was built in 1197 and situated off what is now Farringdon Street, on the eastern bank of the Fleet River after which it was named...
debtor's prisonA debtors' prison is a prison for those who are unable to pay a debt.Prior to the mid 19th century debtors' prisons were a common way to deal with unpaid debt...
. He ignores the distress of both his angry new "old" wife and faithful Sarah, who cannot help him this time. Both the beer-boy and the jailer demand money from him. Tom begins to go madA mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress or disability that is not expected as part of normal development or culture. The recognition and understanding of mental disorders has changed over time and...
, as indicated by both a telescopeAn optical telescope is a telescope which is used to gather and focus light mainly from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum for directly viewing a magnified image for making a photograph, or collecting data through electronic image sensors....
for celestial observation poking out of the barred window and an alchemyAlchemy is both a philosophy and a practice with an aim of achieving ultimate wisdom as well as immortality, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties...
experiment in the background. |
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Finally insane and violent, in the eighth painting he ends his days in Bethlehem HospitalThe Bethlem Royal Hospital of London is a psychiatric hospital in Beckenham, south east London. Although no longer in its original location and buildings, it is recognised as the world's first and oldest institution to specialise in the mentally ill. It has been variously known as St...
(Bedlam), London's celebrated mental asylumA psychiatric hospital, sometimes known as an asylum, is a hospital specializing in the treatment of serious mental illness, usually for relatively long-term inpatients....
. Only Sarah Young is there to comfort him, but Rakewell continues to ignore her. While some of the details in these pictures may appear disturbing to modern eyes, they were commonplace in Hogarth's day. For example, the fashionably dressed women in this last painting have come to the asylum as a social occasionAn excursion is a trip by a group of people, usually made for leisure or educational purposes. It is often an adjunct to a longer journey or visit to a place, sometimes for other purposes....
, to be entertained by the bizarre antics of the inmates. |
Later editions
Igor StravinskyIgor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor, widely acknowledged as one of the most important and influential composers of 20th century music. He was a quintessentially cosmopolitan Russian who was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of...
's 1951 opera
The Rake's ProgressThe Rake's Progress is an opera in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings A Rake's Progress of William Hogarth, which Stravinsky had seen on May 2, 1947, in a Chicago...
, with a
librettoA libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata.Libretto ,...
by
W. H. AudenWystan Hugh Auden who signed his works W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or...
and
Chester KallmanChester Simon Kallman was an American poet, librettist, and translator, best known for his collaborations with W. H. Auden and Igor Stravinsky.-Life:...
, is loosely based on the story from Hogarth's paintings. In 1961,
David HockneyDavid Hockney, CH, RA, is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer, who is based in Bridlington, Yorkshire, although he also maintains a base in London...
created his own print edition version of
The Rake's Progress and has also created stage designs for the Stravinsky Opera.
The RKO film
BedlamBedlam is a film starring Boris Karloff and Anna Lee, and was the last in a series of stylish B films produced by Val Lewton for RKO Radio Pictures. The film was inspired by William Hogarth's A Rake's Progress, and Hogarth was given a writing credit....
, produced by
Val LewtonVal Lewton was an American film producer and screenwriter, who is best known for a sequence of nine brooding horror films he produced for RKO Pictures in the 1940s....
and directed by
Mark RobsonMark Robson was a Canadian-born film editor, film director and producer in Hollywood.-Career:Born in Montreal, Quebec, he moved to the United States at a young age. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles then found work in the prop department at 20th Century Fox studios...
, was inspired by
A Rake's Progress. Hogarth received a writing credit for the film.
The UK fund manager Bedlam Asset Management used the series throughout its 2006 Annual Report and Accounts.
The singer
Steve HogarthSteve Hogarth also known as "h", is vocalist with the British Progressive Rock band Marillion...
of the band
MarillionMarillion are a British rock group. Formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England in 1979, their recorded studio output comprises fifteen albums and is generally regarded as comprising two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988 after their first...
co-wrote a song `The Rake's Progress' as an interlude on the Holidays in Eden album, released in 1991. "I called the section (between 'This Town' and '100 Nights') 'The Rakes Progress' in reference to the famous series of lithographs by my namesake, William Hogarth... Seems pretentious but it was a joke I couldn't resist."
The University of New Hampshire's Department of Theatre and Dance."[ created an intensely collaborative stage show titled "The Rake's Progress" in 2003, which was directed by David Kaye. This show took 17 actors and actresses, provided an intensive study of the etchings. They then wrote and performed a modern avant-garde production based on the interpretation of Hogarth's work.
External links
- A Rake's Progress at The Literary Encyclopedia
The Literary Encyclopedia is an online reference work first published in October 2000 which, as of May 2008, offers freely available content together with full content and services for subscribing members. Articles are written by "nearly 2000 named scholars, most of whom are current university...
- A Rake's Progress at Sir John Soane's Museum