‘Marriage à-la-mode’ “The Inspection” engraved from the original painting by English artist William Hogarth 1697-1764
‘Marriage à-la-mode’ is a series of six pictures painted by William Hogarth between 1743 and 1745 depicting a pointed skewering of upper class 18th century society. This moralistic warning shows the disastrous results of an ill-considered marriage for money and satirises patronage and aesthetics. Hogarth challenges the ideal view that the rich live virtuous lives with a heavy satire on the notion of arranged marriages. In each piece, he shows the young couple and their family and acquaintances at their worst: engaging in affairs, drinking, gambling, and numerous other vices. In the third picture, ‘The Inspection’, shows the Viscount visiting a quack with a young prostitute. The viscount, unhappy with the mercury pills meant to cure his syphilis, demands a refund while the young prostitute next to him dabs an open sore on her mouth, an early sign of is a 19th Century version by W. Radclyffe from the original painting by Hogarth.
Size: 7614px × 6232px
Photo credit: © still light / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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