Night

Date1738

Artist/Maker William Hogarth 1697 - 1764

MediumEtching and line engraving on laid paper

DimensionsOverall: 22 1/2" x 18"; plate: 19 1/2" x 16"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1966-497

DescriptionLower margin reads: "Invented Painted Engraved & Published by W.m Hogarth March, 25. 1738. According to Act of Par.mt/ NIGHT"Label TextThis is the fourth and final print in William Hogarth's series "The Four Times of Day" which shows the progress of a day from morning to night around London. They play on the tradition of representing gods and goddesses to show the times of day. Hogarth recasts these deities as the central characters of the prints. This scene takes place in Charing Cross on a night of celebration as evidenced by the bonfire on the street. A chamberpot is being dumped out a window onto a drunken Freemason represents Pluto, is being helped home by a Tyler (a role in the Masonic order).Mark(s)"Invented, Painted Engraved & Published by Wm. Hogarth March 25, 1738 According to Act of Parm't.ProvenanceBefore 1966, the Old Print Shop (New York, NY); 1966-present, purchased by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Williamsburg, VA).