William Hogarth (1697 - 1764)
RA Collection: Art
The sixth plate of William Hogarth's series of twelve prints Industry and Idleness, which the artist 'calculated for the use & Instruction of youth'. The set shows the consequences in later life of the contrasting behaviours of two apprentices in the same weaver's workshop, with each scene accompanied by scriptural passages (mostly from Proverbs). With this set Hogarth wanted to appeal to the market for popular prints rather than an exclusive, high-end audience (as in the case of Marriage A-la-Mode, published shortly before), and printed impressions on cheap paper for sale at all of London's print shops. The original plates are now in the Thomas Ross Collection, England.
This plate, 'The Industrious 'Prentice Out of his Time and Married to his Master's Daughter', shows the industrious apprentice Goodchild and his new wife through the window of their home, attended by drummers (a traditional practice on the day after a wedding). Behind them is the shop sign 'Goodchild and West' (altered to West and Goodchild in later states), indicating that the former apprentice Goodchild is now a partner in the firm of his master (and now father-in-law). The Monument to the 1666 Fire of London is in the background.
269 mm x 351 mm
Hogarth's prints. Vol. I. - [s.l.]: [n.d.]