Plate Two, from A Rake's Progress

Plate Two, from A Rake's Progress by William Hogarth English, 1697-1764, is a pivotal image in the artist’s famous moralizing series detailing the decline and ultimate ruin of the fictional heir, Tom Rakewell. Executed in 1735, this work is a powerful example of 18th-century graphic narrative, created using the combined techniques of etching and engraving in black ink on ivory laid paper. As a sequential print series, A Rake’s Progress profoundly shaped how social satire was disseminated throughout England. Hogarth utilized the widespread availability of prints to critique the superficiality and moral bankruptcy of London’s newly emerging wealthy class.

This particular scene shifts the narrative from inheritance to immediate dissipation, depicting Rakewell's chaotic morning levée. The composition features the young rake surrounded by various masters, tutors, and opportunists eager to exploit his new fortune, including fencing instructors, musicians, and jockeys. Hogarth meticulously fills the plate with visual details that satirize contemporary British society and its imported tastes, illustrating Rakewell’s vanity and poor judgment. The reliance on prints for rapid distribution made Hogarth’s narratives accessible to a wide audience in England, establishing him as the foremost visual satirist of his era. The medium allows for sharp detail and expressive line work crucial to the moral clarity of the narrative. This significant piece of 18th-century graphic art is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a masterwork of satirical prints, it remains widely studied, and high-quality versions often enter the public domain for research use.