Night

1738

William Hogarth

Associated Names
William Hogarth

Artist, English, 1697 - 1764

This is a painting of a bustling night scene in an urban setting. It is depicted in a monochrome palette. The composition is detailed with a man looking out from beneath a window, a pail of water being emptied above him, and two individuals holding a lantern. There are various elements cluttering the street such as barrels, a broken cart wheel, and scattered litter. A tavern or alehouse sign hangs above, depicting a glass. In the background, a crescent moon illuminates the scene slightly, alongside swirling clouds in the sky.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching with engraving on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Thomas Vogler in memory of his brother Donald J. Vogler

  • Dimensions

    plate: 48.6 × 40.7 cm (19 1/8 × 16 in.)
    sheet: 57.2 × 45.9 cm (22 1/2 × 18 1/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2017.53.39

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Paulson 1965, no. 155, State ii/ii

  • Series Title

    The Four Times of Day

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(R. E. Lewis, CA, 17 September 1984); Donald Vogler, Portland, OR; gift to NGA, 2017.

Associated Names

Bibliography

1965

  • Paulson, Ronald. Hogarth's Graphic Works. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965. Rev. ed., 1970: no. 155, ii/ii

1989

  • Paulson, Ronald. Hogarth's Graphic Works. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965. Rev. ed., 1970, no. 149, ii/ii

Inscriptions

by later hand, upper right in pen and ink: 25.; on sign in image: Shaving Bleeding & / Teeth Drawn at a Touch / Ecce Signum; lower left in plate: Invented Painted Engraved & Published by Wm. Hogarth March 25. 1738. According to Act of Par.mt; lower center in plate: NIGHT; by later hand, lower right in graphite: P. 155ii

Wikidata ID

Q77259410

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