William Hogarth

William Hogarth (1697-1764) rose
from humble beginnings to become a great British painter and engraver and Sergeant Painter to the King.

He hated injustice and used his art to draw attention to the issues he cared about – poverty, drunkenness, political corruption, cruelty to animals. He also took practical steps to deal with these issues, for example, promoting the first copyright legislation in 1735 and serving as a founder Governor of the Foundling Hospital.

In 1752 Hogarth published his theoretical book about art, The Analysis of Beauty. His friends and neighbours had helped him with the text.

See
Hogarth & Chiswick
Sergeant Painter to the King
Hogarth’s House centenary