Last  Station  before  the  Debtor’s  Prison

Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). Near-Arrest for Debt. It is March 1^st, birthday of Queen Caroline, wife of George II, and Rakewell is on his way to St. James. What does not keep the beadles of the law from stopping his sedan in the open street and presenting to the getting out Rakewell the arrest order – but for this time the purse of Sarah Young, the disgracefully left former mistress, still helps. On the left side in the background St. James Palace and White’s Coffeehouse, in front of which several further sedans. On the left a welshman with the leek of St. David’s Day at his hat. Engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: Drawn by W^m. Hogath (sic!) / Engraved by T. Cook. / Published October 1^st. 1796 by G. G. & J; Robinson, Paternoster Row, London. / Pl. IV. 35.8 x 41.7 cm.

The Rake’s Progress IV. – With multi-lined subtext. – After the yet unchanged sunny first state (ills. Hogarth Catalogue of the Tate Gallery, 1972, 72a), also without the street urchins added by Hogarth in the 3^rd state only and without the lightning at the sky, otherwise  – contrary to all later Hogarth editions – in his original folio size. – Cook “made a name for himself as Hogarth engraver, too”, Thieme-Becker). – Of very fine chiaroscuro.
Offer no. 7,515 / EUR  343. / Export price EUR  326. (c. US$ 516.) + shipping

– – – The same in Cook’s smaller repetition without the subtext here replaced by the series title and also without the addition of the street urchins. Inscribed: Pl. IIII. / Hogarth pinx^t. / T. Cook sculp^t. / Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, March 1^st. 1809. Subject size 14.2 x 16.8 cm. – Trimmed within the wide white platemark whose outer parts are quite weakly age-spotted at three sides.
Offer no. 8,869 / EUR  50. (c. US$ 79.) + shipping

– – – The same in engraving by Carl Heinrich Rahl (Hoffenheim 1779 – Vienna 1843). (1818/23.) Inscribed: 16. / Pl: 4. 20.9 x 27 cm.

With the lighting + the street urchin sujet  playing  cards  +  dice  Hogarth only added in the 3^rd state of the plate, namely the two shoeshines, the chimney-sweep, the postilion whose trumps are disclosed by an informer, and the small politician studying his Farthing post:

“ There is indescribable much warmth and domesticality in the little statesman. He does not hear the thunder of the skies, and does not see the lighting of London’s police … Is it possible to look at the politics of one’s fatherland with great pleasure? ”

(Lichtenberg).
Offer no. 5,938 / EUR  76. (c. US$ 120.) + shipping

– – – The same in engraving by Ernst Ludwig Riepenhausen (1765 Göttingen 1840, university engraver there). Inscribed: 16. / W. Hogarth inv & pinx. E. Riepⁿ. d. sc. / Pl 4. 20.3 x 24.3 cm. – With the street urchins as aforementioned. – On slightly toned minor paper. – Riepenhausen’s engravings after Hogarth (“very estimable”, Nagler) belong to his chief work and are partly even preferred to Hogarth’s own engravings.
Offer no. 5,648 / EUR  65. (c. US$ 103.) + shipping

– – – The same in steel engraving about 1840. 13.8 x 15.2 cm. – With the street urchins as aforementioned. – With title in German + English.
Offer no. 7,654 / EUR  35. (c. US$ 55.) + shipping

Complete copies of the set and further single plates available .

„ ich danke für die unbeschreiblich gut verpackte Sendung, die mich heute wohlbehalten erreichte, Sollten Sie mal wieder etwas von … haben, wäre ich für eine Benachrichtigung dankbar. Ebenso interessieren mich die Maler … Herzliche Grüße aus Hamburg “

(Herr A. W., 24. Oktober 2007)