John Wilkes, Esq.

John Wilkes, Esq., created by William Hogarth in 1763, is a powerful satirical portrait executed using the medium of etching and engraving. This print depicts the controversial Member of Parliament and journalist, John Wilkes, who was arrested the same year for seditious libel following the publication of The North Briton, No. 45. Hogarth, already a master of pictorial social commentary, used this demanding printmaking technique to launch a fierce visual attack on his political adversary.

Hogarth intentionally rendered Wilkes's famous squint and smug expression, transforming the conventional political portrait into biting visual propaganda against his Whig opponent. The artist presents the subject wearing spectacles pushed up on his forehead, a device that further emphasizes his distinctive facial features and mocking grin. Unlike the idealized portraits common during the period, this work is a scathing character study of one of the most polarizing figures in 18th-century London society. This unflattering depiction, meant to ridicule Wilkes, inadvertently became his iconic visual representation throughout his political career.

This impression represents the first state of two, showcasing the earliest development of the plate before further revisions were made. This particular example of the celebrated print, John Wilkes, Esq., is held within the esteemed permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. As one of Hogarth’s most recognizable and important political prints, its enduring popularity ensured that it became a standard reference piece for 18th-century English political satire. High-quality prints of this artwork are frequently studied today in public domain collections globally, underscoring its historical significance.