Birth of William Hogarth
William Hogarth was born in London and later developed an influential form of visual narrative satire.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
William Hogarth Biography and Timeline
Follow William Hogarth through 42 dated historical records for Great Britain.
William Hogarth, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
42Distinct records
1 of 2Page
1697–1761Years on this page
1697
1714
Apprenticeship in Engraving Begins
Hogarth became an apprentice to the engraver Ellis Gamble, learning the craft that would support his satirical storytelling.
1720
Engravers Shop Card Issued
Hogarth produced an engraved trade card advertising his work, an early surviving example of his printmaking.
1721
Lottery Satire Engraved
Hogarth produced The Lottery, an engraved commentary on public speculation and commercial folly.
South Sea Scheme Satire
Hogarth created a satirical print about the South Sea Bubble, using allegorical imagery to criticize speculation.
1723
Travel Book Illustrations Produced
Hogarth made illustrations for Aubry de la Mottraye's published travels, contributing images to a prose travel narrative.
1724
Just View of British Stage
Hogarth created A Just View of the British Stage, satirizing contemporary theatrical productions.
Masquerades and Operas Satire
Hogarth issued Masquerades and Operas, a print attacking fashionable entertainments and imported cultural tastes.
1725
Cassandra Book Illustrations
Hogarth produced plates for an English edition of the romance Cassandra, extending his work as a literary illustrator.
1726
Hudibras Illustrations Published
Hogarth published a series of illustrations inspired by Samuel Butler's satirical poem Hudibras.
Mary Toft Hoax Satirized
Hogarth depicted the Mary Toft rabbit birth scandal, converting a notorious news story into visual satire.
1728
Falstaff Recruiting Scene Painted
Hogarth depicted Falstaff examining recruits, drawing on a comic episode from Shakespeare's Henry IV.
Tempest Scene Depicted
Hogarth painted Prospero and Miranda from Shakespeare's The Tempest, translating a dramatic scene into visual narrative.
1729
Beggars Opera Scenes Painted
Hogarth painted scenes from John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, drawing on popular theatrical storytelling.
1731
Before and After Series
Hogarth developed the paired works Before and After, contrasting stages in a suggestive social encounter.
1732
Harlot Progress Narrative Prints
Hogarth issued the engraved series A Harlot's Progress, presenting a fictional woman's downfall as sequential satire.
Harlots Progress
Publication of "Harlots Progress"
1733
Midnight Modern Conversation Issued
Hogarth issued A Midnight Modern Conversation, satirizing drunken sociability through a densely staged scene.
Southwark Fair Print Issued
Hogarth published Southwark Fair, a crowded satirical image of urban entertainments and commercial spectacle.
1735
A Rakes Progress
Publication of "A Rakes Progress"
Engravers Copyright Act Takes Effect
The Engravers Copyright Act associated with Hogarth strengthened legal protection for artists publishing original prints.
Rakes Progress Print Series
Hogarth published engraved episodes of A Rake's Progress, tracing the moral collapse of Tom Rakewell.
1736
Sleeping Congregation Published
Hogarth published The Sleeping Congregation, a humorous image criticizing inattentive worshippers.
1737
Distressed Poet Print Issued
Hogarth produced The Distressed Poet, portraying the material pressures surrounding literary production.
1738
Strolling Actresses Satire Issued
Hogarth issued Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn, portraying the precarious lives of traveling performers.
1741
Enraged Musician Published
Hogarth published The Enraged Musician, a satirical contrast between musical ambition and London street noise.
1745
Battle of Pictures Published
Hogarth produced The Battle of the Pictures, a satirical image associated with selling his art.
Marriage A La Mode Engravings
Hogarth issued prints of Marriage A la Mode, narrating the disastrous consequences of a fashionable marriage.
1747
Industry and Idleness Series
Hogarth published Industry and Idleness, twelve moralizing prints contrasting the careers of two apprentices.
Stage Coach Country Inn
Hogarth published The Stage Coach or The Country Inn Yard, observing travel and social differences.
1748
Gate of Calais Published
Hogarth published The Gate of Calais, satirizing Anglo French relations and national stereotypes.
1751
Beer Street Print Published
Hogarth published Beer Street as part of a paired argument about public drinking and social welfare.
Four Stages of Cruelty
Hogarth published The Four Stages of Cruelty, a narrative print sequence attacking violence against animals and people.
Gin Lane Print Published
Hogarth published Gin Lane, a powerful pictorial critique of destructive gin consumption.
1752
Columbus Breaking Egg Published
Hogarth created Columbus Breaking the Egg, an illustration connected with his developing ideas about visual aesthetics.
1753
Analysis of Beauty Published
Hogarth published The Analysis of Beauty, his prose treatise presenting a theory of beauty and visual form.
1754
Election Entertainment Painted
Hogarth began depicting election corruption in scenes forming his satirical Humours of an Election sequence.
1755
Election Prints Continue
Hogarth developed election themed pictorial satire to expose bribery, disorder and the theater of electoral politics.
1758
Bench Print Issued
Hogarth issued The Bench, a visual critique of judicial faces and questions of character.
1761
Five Orders of Periwigs
Hogarth published Five Orders of Periwigs, lampooning fashionable hairstyles through mock scholarly classification.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.