The Curate and the Barber Disguising Themselves to convey Don Quixote Home (Six Illustrations for Don Quixote)

The Curate and the Barber Disguising Themselves to convey Don Quixote Home (Six Illustrations for Don Quixote) by William Hogarth is a detailed print executed in 1756 using the complex techniques of etching and engraving. This particular impression represents the third state of the plate and belongs to a significant series of six illustrations Hogarth created for Miguel de Cervantes’s enduring novel, Don Quixote.

Hogarth, the leading English satirist and graphic artist of the mid-18th century, captures a moment of farcical preparation critical to the plot. The scene centers on the Curate and the Barber, two principal male figures, as they meticulously arrange disguises intended to trick the deluded Don Quixote into returning to his village. The composition is bustling, emphasizing the collaborative efforts of several figures, including women who are actively assisting in the "Dressing" process, handling props, and preparing the elaborate costumes necessary for the imminent deception.

As a printmaker, Hogarth ensured his work was widely disseminated, translating the novel’s literary satire into sharp visual commentary accessible to a broad public. Although initially conceived to illustrate a specific edition of Don Quixote, this print and the accompanying five illustrations stand independently as powerful examples of Hogarth's narrative skill. This impression of The Curate and the Barber Disguising Themselves is classified as a print within the respected collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.