A Harlot's Progress: pl.1

A Harlot's Progress: pl.1 by William Hogarth, created in 1732, inaugurates one of the artist's most famous sequences of moralizing narrative prints. This seminal work, executed using the complex print techniques of etching and engraving, belongs firmly to the British artistic output of the 1726 to 1750 period. Hogarth pioneered the concept of the “modern moral subject,” using sequential images to depict social decline, often selling affordable prints directly to the burgeoning middle class.

The scene depicts the fateful arrival of the innocent protagonist, Moll Hackabout, in London, fresh from the Yorkshire countryside, seeking honest employment. The work immediately establishes the perilous nature of the city. Hogarth meticulously details the characters surrounding her, highlighting Moll’s naive vulnerability in stark contrast to the predatory figures who observe her. These include the notorious bawd, Mother Needham, who is shown immediately assessing Moll's commercial potential, and the infamous rake, Colonel Charteris. A falling stack of pots and the sight of a goose inscribed with "Theodore" being sold (a known slang reference to syphilis) subtly foreshadow the corruption and ruin awaiting her.

Hogarth’s detailed engraving emphasizes the clash between rural innocence and metropolitan depravity, a central theme in his celebrated satirical output. The print was a massive commercial success for the artist, solidifying his reputation as a keen observer and moral commentator on Georgian society. This influential piece is held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. The lasting cultural impact of Hogarth’s dramatic narrative ensured the wide circulation of these moralizing images. Today, high-resolution reproductions and prints of this seminal work are widely available in the public domain, ensuring continued study of this master of British satirical art.