A Native Dance (Aubry de La Mottraye's "Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of Africa...," London, 1724, vol. I, pl. 11)

A Native Dance (Aubry de La Mottraye's "Travels throughout Europe, Asia and into Part of Africa...," London, 1724, vol. I, pl. 11) by William Hogarth is an early example of the artist’s work in printmaking, executed around 1723-1724. This piece, created through the combined techniques of etching and engraving, served a functional purpose as a detailed plate illustration for the first volume of Aubry de La Mottraye’s comprehensive account of his extensive travels. Its execution marks one of the significant illustration commissions Hogarth undertook during the foundational years of his career.

The scene depicts a lively and possibly ceremonial dance, focusing on a group of figures, predominantly women and girls, gathered in an exterior space. Hogarth employed the expressive spontaneity of etching alongside the precise control of engraving to render the dynamic movement of the subjects. The image reflects the eighteenth-century European interest in ethnographic documentation, aiming to visually record the customs and ceremonies encountered by travelers abroad. By focusing on the active participation of the women, this print provides a supposed record of non-Western social and cultural practices for a London readership.

Though best known for his later satirical narrative paintings and complex moral subjects, Hogarth established his reputation through commissioned prints like A Native Dance. The exacting detail required for book illustration showcases his developing technical command of the copper plate medium. The work is held in the extensive collection of prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, providing historical context for the artist's beginnings. As a historical document from this period, this influential artwork is frequently found in public domain archives, ensuring its accessibility for study and appreciation.