Morning, Plate One from The Four Times of Day

Morning, Plate One from The Four Times of Day by William Hogarth English, 1697-1764, is a significant example of eighteenth-century social satire executed through the medium of etching and engraving. Created in 1738, this print forms the first panel of a celebrated narrative series that chronicled the manners and morals observed in London throughout a single day. The scene typically depicts the chaotic bustle of the early hours near a church, contrasting the piety of a sober congregation with the vices and disorder of the surrounding urban poor.

Hogarth utilized the detailed and replicable process of etching and engraving in black on cream laid paper to disseminate his critical views widely. As a master of narrative printmaking in England, the artist’s work served both as high art and popular visual commentary, providing viewers with complex, morality-laden scenes designed to both entertain and instruct. The Four Times of Day series, published alongside other famous sequences like A Harlot's Progress, solidified Hogarth’s reputation for insightful observation of urban life and established a visual tradition for social commentary.

This particular impression demonstrates the clarity and detailed drawing typical of the artist's finest prints. Hogarth (1738) captured the specific atmosphere of early eighteenth-century England, focusing on the contrasts between the emerging middle classes, the old gentry, and the lower classes struggling in the developing metropolis. This print is held in the comprehensive collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As many original Hogarth works are now in the public domain, this image remains a foundational reference point for studies of Georgian visual culture and the history of English graphic arts.