Plate three, from A Harlot's Progress

Plate three, from A Harlot's Progress is a seminal early work by William Hogarth English, 1697-1764, dating from 1732. This powerful image is rendered as an engraving in black on ivory laid paper, demonstrating the artist's sophisticated command of line and shadow within the print medium. This work belongs to the groundbreaking six-plate narrative series, which Hogarth termed the first of his famed "Modern Moral Subjects." Created during a transformative period in the social history of England, the series operated both as biting social commentary and a significant commercial venture for the artist.

The series follows the tragic decline of its protagonist, Moll Hackabout, chronicling her journey from naive country girl to eventual ruin in London. While the specific scene of Plate Three depicts her escalating desperation, likely showing her arrested or engaging in common street activity, it emphasizes the inescapable cycle of poverty and vice that Hogarth sought to expose in Georgian society. Hogarth was instrumental in popularizing the sequential visual narrative, ensuring that these moralizing yet satirical tales were widely accessible.

The original copper plates were heavily utilized to create numerous prints, allowing the work to circulate broadly among the rising English middle class. Hogarth’s innovative use of visual storytelling proved deeply influential, setting a precedent for subsequent narrative illustration and satirical art. This particular impression, an integral component of the Art Institute of Chicago's renowned prints collection, continues to be studied for its technical mastery and acute historical insight. Because of its age and profound cultural significance, the widespread accessibility of these historical images ensures that Hogarth’s foundational work frequently exists within the public domain for research and appreciation.