A Harlot's Progress, Plate 6

A Harlot's Progress, Plate 6 by William Hogarth, created in 1732, marks the grim and satirical conclusion of the six-part narrative charting the tragic life and inevitable downfall of Moll Hackabout. This seminal work of English graphic art is executed using the demanding technique of etching and engraving, presented here in the third and final state of the print. The series itself fundamentally changed English art, pioneering the serialized "modern moral subject" which critiqued the social injustices and contemporary vices of 18th-century London society. This final plate focuses not on Moll’s demise, but on the cynical, chaotic social theater surrounding her funeral.

Hogarth sets the action within a crowded, poorly kept interior where the wake takes place. The scene is populated by a raucous collection of men and women, many of whom are either drunk, oblivious, or engaging in further immoral behavior, transforming the supposedly somber occasion into a grotesque party. Visible among the few genuine mourners are Moll’s young child and the clergyman, whose palpable lack of genuine piety underscores the artist’s sharp critique of institutional hypocrisy.

As a highly commercial sequential narrative print series, A Harlot's Progress proved immensely popular, leading to widespread reproduction and study. Today, this important piece of social commentary resides within the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Because of its age and profound cultural significance, the underlying image is often available for study and reference in the public domain, ensuring Hogarth's biting observations, captured masterfully in these detailed prints, remain accessible to modern viewers.