The Times, Plate 1

The Times, Plate 1, by William Hogarth (1762), is a profound example of 18th-century English satire rendered through the demanding medium of etching and engraving. This specific impression, held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is identified as the rare first state of three, illustrating the intricate, multi-stage process utilized in creating such masterful prints. Hogarth used the immediate, recognizable chaos of London urban life to deliver pointed political commentary.

The composition centers on a catastrophic fire raging in a city square, surrounded by a dense, dramatically lit crowd and frantic firefighters attempting to control the disaster. This scene of physical emergency serves as a thinly veiled metaphor for the political turmoil and discord Hogarth perceived in the British establishment. The artist often targeted figures and factions he viewed as contributing to national disorder, depicting them either oblivious to or actively hindering the necessary response to crisis. Hogarth’s powerful command of graphic detail ensures that the frenzy of the crowd and the destructive power of the blaze feel immediate, transforming a disaster scene into high-stakes political theater.

As a crucial work in the history of British graphic arts, this piece demonstrates the effectiveness of the printmaking tradition in shaping public opinion during the turbulent Georgian era. The Times, Plate 1 secures Hogarth’s legacy as the foremost pictorial satirist of his time, providing art historians with an essential window into the sociopolitical anxieties of 1762.