A Harlot's Progress: pl.3

A Harlot's Progress: pl.3 by William Hogarth, executed in 1732, is a pivotal work within the artist’s groundbreaking series that utilized sequential art to satirize Georgian society and detail the tragic life of Moll Hackabout. This powerful print was created using the meticulous combination of etching and engraving, allowing Hogarth to achieve fine detail and deep tonal contrast essential for conveying the dense symbolic environment. Hogarth was instrumental in popularizing moralizing narrative prints during the period of 1726 to 1750, appealing directly to a wide British audience with subjects drawn from contemporary urban life rather than classical history.

The six-plate series documents Moll’s moral and social downfall, moving from her arrival in London to her eventual death from disease. Plate three typically represents the stage of Moll's greatest financial success, often depicting her living as a kept mistress in luxurious but spiritually chaotic surroundings. While she has escaped the squalor of the initial scenes, Hogarth fills the composition with visual cues suggesting the transience of her wealth and the moral corruption underlying her domestic arrangement. Such details underscore Hogarth’s primary intent: to criticize the societal structures and moral laxity that enabled prostitution and poverty to flourish in 18th-century London.

Hogarth’s pioneering approach to narrative art ensured that the print format functioned as both a successful commercial product and a tool for severe social commentary. His influence redefined visual satire and provided a template for subsequent generations of graphic artists. The work resides in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. Because of its historical significance and age, this masterwork of British art is frequently found among public domain collections, allowing scholars and enthusiasts to continue studying Hogarth’s profound observational skill and narrative genius.