Four Times of the Day, Night by William Hogarth circa 1736
Plate from Hogarth's Works published 1883 by Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier. Info from Wiki:The final picture in the series, Night, shows disorderly activities under cover of night in the Charing Cross Road, identified by Hubert Le Sueur's equestrian statue of Charles I of England and the two pubs;[31] this part of the road is now known as Whitehall. In the background the passing cartload of furniture suggests tenants escaping from their landlord in a "moonlight flit". In the painting the moon is full, but in the print it appears as a crescent. The night is 29 May, Oak Apple Day, a public holiday which celebrated the Restoration of the monarchy, demonstrated by the oak boughs above the barber's sign and on some of the subjects' hats, which recall the royal oak tree in which Charles II hid after losing the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Charing Cross was a central staging post for coaches, but the congested narrow road was a frequent scene of accidents; here, a bonfire has caused the Salisbury Flying Coach to overturn. Festive bonfires were usual but risky: a house fire lights the sky in the distance. A link-boy blows on the flame of his torch,[4] street-urchins are playing with the fire, and one of their fireworks is falling in at the coach window. On one side of the road is a barber surgeon whose sign advertises Shaving, bleeding, and teeth drawn with a touch. Ecce signum! Inside the shop, the barber, who may be drunk,[32] haphazardly shaves a customer, holding his nose like that of a pig,
Size: 3000px × 3595px
Location: London, England
Photo credit: © Historical Images Archive / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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