Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
"Marriage à la Mode, Plate 2
William Hogarth, English, 1697-1764
Engraving
Gift of Prof. William A. McGill, 2001.10.05.02
“Leading extravagant, vitiated lives, the husband and wife have become completely alienated from each other. It is 1:20 A.M.; they sit apart after a night of independent entertainments. Enervated and listless, the husband slumps back on a chair gazing dejectedly at the floor, unaware of his wife's presence. A dog pulls his mistress' cap from his pocket; before him lies his sword broken in a fight. His wife, stretching gracelessly, vainly attempts to win her husband's attention by her glance and outstretched foot. Her entertainment, much more innocent and middle-class than his aristocratic debauchery, has been to remain at home and entertain guests at cards. Hoyle on Whist lies at her feet.
Above his head hangs a clock ornamented with the comically incongruous images of a cat, a fish and a Buddha. The mantle is cluttered with tasteless, grotesque little statues; a Roman bust with a broken nose stands in the center. In a picture above the mantle, Cupid plays the bagpipes; his bow lies broken beside him.
The young nobleman has his father's problems with money. His despairing Methodist steward (he carries a copy of Regeneration in his pocket) leaves with a sheaf of bills in one hand and a single one marked Red'd. June 4, 1744 in the other.
In a second room, every bit as disordered as the first, a sleepy, carelessly dressed servant leans against a chair. The room is decorated with a row of mirrors, and a picture, so obscene that it is covered, is juxtaposed with portraits of Saints Matthew, John and Andrew. The candle stubs indicate the card party has been an all-night affair. One of the candles sets fire to a chair.”
From Sean Shesgreen, Engravings by Hogarth
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