Plate Three, from A Rake's Progress

Plate Three, from A Rake's Progress, created by William Hogarth English, 1697-1764, is a central image in the artist’s seminal narrative series charting the moral and financial ruin of Tom Rakewell. Executed in 1735, this print utilizes the meticulous technical combination of etching and engraving in black on ivory laid paper. This medium was crucial to Hogarth’s practice, enabling him to produce large editions of prints that brought his pointed social critiques to a wide audience throughout England.

The scene in Plate Three typically depicts Rakewell indulging in excessive extravagance at a tavern, surrounded by musicians, prostitutes, and hangers-on. This illustration of dissipation functions as a visual critique of the emerging wealthy classes and the moral dangers inherent in inherited wealth and fashionable vice in Georgian London. Hogarth (1697-1764) masterfully employs satire and detailed visual metaphor to warn viewers about the inevitable consequences of irresponsible living, making the work both an important piece of cultural documentation and a powerful moralizing tale.

The classification of this work as a print underscores Hogarth’s innovative approach to serialized visual storytelling, which influenced generations of subsequent artists. This compelling etching, documenting a key moment in the rake’s decline, remains an important resource for understanding 18th-century English culture and is held in the distinguished collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a landmark work of visual art, high-quality images of these influential prints are often made accessible through public domain resources for scholarship and appreciation.