Attorneys  and  Drayman

Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). A Morning in London. Daily turbulence at Thavie’s Inn Coffee House, today for a change the sleeping drayman on his fully loaded cart, running over a boy while additionally the bung of one of the barrels got off and the much demanded thirst-quencher runs onto the street. But also Tom Nero’s overturned coach in front left with the four attorneys on their way to Westminster promises troubles for the coachman. Engraving. Inscribed: Designed by W. Hogarth. / Published according to Act of Parliament Feb. 1. 1751. 39.1 x 32.3 cm.

The Four Stages of Cruelty II. – With 12lined subtext in three verses by supposedly Rev. James Townley:

“ The generous Steed in hoary Age / Subdu’d by Labour lies;
And mourns a cruel Master’s rage, / While Nature Strength denies.

The tender Lamb o’er drove and faint, / Amidst expiring Throws;
Bleats forth it’s innocent complaint / And dies beneath the Blows.

Inhuman Wretch! say whence proceeds / This coward Cruelty?
What Int’rest springs from barb’rous deeds? / What Joy from Misery? ”

The  famous  sujet  by which Hogarth successfully tried to call the attention to the brutalization of the lower classes. Since – so Lichtenberg – “supposedly the drayman will know to comfort himself over the unlucky boy, but have quite different feelings in regard of the suffered (beer) damage”. But also the attorneys’ driver should not be in a good mood neither as “(e)ven every single one of the four would be able to bring the coachman to the Justice of the Peace to enforce forfeit for the suffered shock”. That the attorneys let themselves be driven by Tom Nero at all

is  the  gag  pure  and  simple :

For he is the arch-rogue of this set. Whom an acting earthly justice finally brought on the gallows, then into the anatomic theatre. The latter due to common prejudices of especially deterring effect.

Harmonic impression, perhaps from the complete edition published by Boydell 1790-1809. – Some backed small tears in the broad white and a waterstreak in the upper left corner.
Offer no. 6,516 / EUR  445. / export price EUR  423. (c. US$ 589.) + shipping

– – The same. 38.7 x 32.3 cm. – Deep impression from the plate reworked by the Royal engraver James Heath (1757 London 1834) about 1822.
Offer no. 6,515 / EUR  445. / export price EUR  423. (c. US$ 589.) + shipping

– – The same. Steel engraving. C. 1850. Inscribed. 15.9 x 12.2 cm.
Offer no. 6,018 / EUR  65. (c. US$ 90.) + shipping

Complete copies of the set and further single plates available .

„ vielen Dank für die schnelle und unkomplizierte Lieferung “

(Herr H.-G. S., 27. August 2008)