Part 1 (1/2)

The Works of Willias

by John Trusler

THE LIFE OF HOGARTH

Williainally frorandfather was a plain yeoman, who possessed a se about fifteen miles north of Kendal, in that county; and had three sons

The eldest assisted his father in far, and succeeded to his little freehold

The second settled in Troutbeck, a village eight miles north west of Kendal, and was remarkable for his talent at provincial poetry

Richard Hogarth, the third son, as educated at St Bees, and had kept a school in the sa He cainal occupation of a schoolmaster, in shi+p-court in the Old Bailey, and was occasionally earth married in London; and our artist, and his sisters, Mary and Anne, are believed to have been the only product of the arth was born November 10, and baptised Nov 28, 1697, in the parish of St Bartholomew the Great, in London; to which parish, it is said, in the Biographia Britannica, he was afterwards a benefactor

The school of Hogarth's father, in 1712, was in the parish of St

Martin, Ludgate In the register of that parish, therefore, the date of his death, it was natural to suppose, ister has been searched to no purpose

Hogarth seems to have received no other education than that of a arth was bound apprentice to a silversmith (whose name was Gamble) of some eminence; by whom he was confined to that branch of the trade, which consists in engraving arradually acquired so; and, before his apprenticeshi+p expired, he exhibited talent for caricature ”He felt the ih little apprised at that time of the mode Nature had intended he should pursue”

The following circuave the first indication of the talents hich Hogarth afterwards proved hi his apprenticeshi+p, he set out one Sunday, with two or three co hot, they went into a public-house; where they had not long been, before a quarrel arose between soot to blows, and the quart pots being the only lorious confusion This was a scene too laughable for Hogarth to resist He drew out his pencil, and produced on the spot one of the most ludicrous pieces that ever was seen; which exhibited likenesses not only of the coathered round thehtened with character and points of humour

On the expiration of his apprenticeshi+p, he entered into the acade from the life: but in this his proficiency was inconsiderable; nor would he ever have surpassed _h external form to character and enius was given hi of arms and shop-bills seems to have been his first employment by which to obtain a decent livelihood He was, however, soon engaged in decorating books, and furnished sets of plates for several publications of the time An edition of _Hudibras_ afforded hienius: yet he felt so much the shackles of other ht have been expected In the mean time, he had acquired the use of the brush, as well as of the pen and graver; and, possessing a singular facility in seizing a likeness, he acquired considerable ee, he informs us that he commenced painter of small conversation pieces, froht; the novelty of which caused them to succeed for a few years One of the earliest productions of this kind, which distinguished him as a painter, is supposed to have been a representation of Wanstead asseures in it were drawn from the life, and without burlesque The faces were said to bear great likenesses to the persons so drawn, and to be rather better coloured than some of his more finished performances Grace, however, was no attribute of his pencil; and he was ravate, than to soften the harsh touches of Nature

A curious anecdote is recorded of our artist during the early part of his practice as a portrait painter A noblely and deformed, sat for his picture, which was executed in his happiest usted at this counterpart of his dear self, was not disposed very readily to pay for a reflector that would only insult him with his deformities After some time had elapsed, and numerous unsuccessful applications had been made for payment, the painter resorted to an expedient, which he knewcard:--”Mr

Hogarth's dutiful respects to Lord----; finding that he does not mean to have the picture which was drawn for hi necessities for the money If, therefore, his lordshi+p does not send for it in three days, it will be disposed of, with the addition of a tail and soes, to _Mr Hare, the faentleman a conditional promise on his lordshi+p's refusal” This intimation had its desired effect; the picture was paid for, and coarth's talents, however, for original coradually unfolded themselves, and various public occasions produced displays of his ludicrous powers

In the year 1730, he clandestinely hter of Sir James Thornhill, the painter, as not easily reconciled to her union with an obscure artist, as Hogarth then coreat series of ress:” sonedly placed by Mrs Hogarth in her father's way, in order to reconcile hi informed by whom they were executed, Sir James observed, ”The man who can produce such representations as these, can also maintain a ithout a portion”

He soon after, however, relented, and becareat harmony until his death, which took place in 1733

In 1733 his genius becaress” introduced hireat: at a Board of Treasury, (which was held a day or two after the appearance of that print), a copy of it was shown by one of the lords, as containing, a likeness of Sir John Gonson, a celebrated our towards women of the town From the Treasury each lord repaired to the print-shop for a copy of it, and Hogarth rose completely into fame

Upwards of twelve hundred subscribers entered their names for the plates, which were copied and imitated on fan mounts, and in a variety of other forms; and a pantomime taken froether with several subsequent ones of a siinal geniuses and inventors He may be said to have created an entirely new species of painting, which may be termed the _moral comic_; and may be considered rather as a writer of co the eneral satire on vices,--and ridicule fahtened by wit,--and the whole animated by proper and just expressions of the passions,--be coarth composed coarth resided at South La intimate with Mr Tyers, the then spirited proprietor of Vauxhall Gardens, he contributed ested the hint of es, some of which were the productions of his own cos were ”The Four Parts of the Day,” either by Hogarth, or after his designs

Two years after the publication of his ”Harlot's Progress,” appeared the ”Rake's Progress,” which, Lord Orford reh perhaps superior,) ”had not so much success, for want of notoriety: nor is the print of the Arrest equal in merit to the others” The curtain, however, was non aside, and his genius stood displayed in its full lustre

The Rake's Progress was followed by several works in series, viz