Beer Street

1751

William Hogarth

Associated Names
William Hogarth

Artist, English, 1697 - 1764

The image depicts a bustling street scene from a slightly elevated point of view. The horizon is high in the composition, showing the tops of buildings and the sky with a few clouds. The street is filled with people engaged in various activities. On the left, a painter is painting a shop sign on a ledge, while two men relax below him. In the center, workers are carrying a barrel. In the distance, a church spire rises above the rooftops. The style includes detailed line work, rendering the scene with depth. The color palette is monochrome, using shades of sepia or browns, typical of an engraving.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and engraving

  • Credit Line

    Rosenwald Collection

  • Dimensions

    sheet: 37.7 × 32 cm (14 13/16 × 12 5/8 in.)
    sheet: 62.7 × 45.3 cm (24 11/16 × 17 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1944.5.86

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Paulson 1965, no. 185, State ii/iv

  • Series Title

    Beer Street and Gin Lane [Paulson 185-186]

Associated Artworks

See all 114 artworks
The image depicts an engraving of a seated man facing slightly to the right with his body turned slightly to the left. The man has prominent facial features, including large eyes, a prominent nose, and a closed mouth. He wears a fur hat, a dark coat, and a buttoned shirt with a white collar. A pug dog sits beside him, facing the viewer. Objects like books, an artist's palette, brushes, and a cloth are scattered around them. In the background is a draped curtain, and at the bottom is the inscription "Gulielmus Hogarth."

Gulielmus Hogarth

William Hogarth

1748

Collected Works of William Hogarth

William Hogarth

1697

This is a drawing of character profiles and caricatures. The drawing consists of profiles of faces depicted in a stylized manner on one side, and as exaggerated caricatures on the other side. Varying facial expressions and features are shown, with a row dividing the characters and caricatures to illustrate the difference through levels of exaggeration.

Characters and Caricaturas

William Hogarth

1743

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1967

  • William Hogarth, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA, 1967.

1982

  • Lessing J. Rosenwald: Tribute to a Collector, NGA, 1982, no. 63, repro.

Bibliography

1965

  • Paulson, Ronald. Hogarth's Graphic Works. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965. Rev. ed., 1970.

1995

  • Feldman, Edmund Burke. The Artist: A Social History. 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, 1995: 146.

1996

  • Apgar, Garry, Shaun O'L. Higgins, and Colleen Striegel. The Newspaper in Art. Spokane, 1996: 13, fig. 22.

Wikidata ID

Q65026918

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