Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
"A Rake's Progress, Plate 6
William Hogarth, English, 1697-1764
Engraving
Gift of Prof. William A. McGill, 2001.10.04.06
“Drawn into gambling again, one of the most popular and fatal vices of his new social circle, the rake has lost a second fortune. The center of interest in the previous scene, that stately figure is now half mad. His clothes unbuttoned, his wig ripped off, he is alone in the midst of his companions. His fists clenched, teeth gritted and eyes bulging, he seems to curse heaven and fate. A mad dog (with a collar inscribed Covent Gar[den], the location of the gambling house) mirrors the rake's frenzy.
Too absorbed to notice the fire, those in the room (most are gentlemen) exhibit variously the effects of gambling in their conduct. By the fireside, an oblivious highwayman (a mask and gun protrude from his pocket), depressed and preoccupied by his losses, seeks consolation in a large gin. Completely withdrawn, the man behind him bites his nails in torment. To the left, two figures with satisfied countenances share the fruits of their collusion. Only the croupier and another man notice the fire. Behind them three figures are involved in a violent dispute. To his left, a gentleman expresses surprise at the entrance of the watch, who has seen the blaze from outside. Another casual and richly dressed fellow borrows money from a plainly clothed figure (reminiscent of the rake's father) who sits at a table covered with a rotting cloth and detachedly enters in his ledger Lent to Ld. Cogg 500.
Above the fireplace hangs an advertisement reading R Justian Card Maker to his Maj...Royal Family, suggesting that even the king and queen indulge in this vicious amusement. Behind the usurer a figure dressed in mourning convulses, perhaps over the loss of a newly acquired legacy.”
From Sean Shesgreen, Engravings by Hogarth
Alternate label:
Scene in a GamingHouse
Plate 6: Scene Six takes us to another gaming
house where We Witness Rakewell's second,
inevitable loss of fortune. Half mad, wig torn from
his head, he shakes his fist at the Heavens. Quite
literally, by having married the old hag and now
losing her fortune, all of his cards have been played
and he has sealed his own deplorable fate.
Conversely, to the right another big loser greets
his fate with quiet resignation. At the table to the
left, a moneylender writes a note for another losing
aristocrat. Seated around the table We see the
various symptoms of joy and suffering that
gambling delivers.
The advertisement on the Wall reads, ""R. Justian,
Card Maker to his Maj. Royal Family.""
Seemingly, even the King and Queen cannot escape
the dangers of the Gaming House"