After  the  Economic  now  the  Social  Ascent

Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). The Industrious ‘Prentice grown rich, & Sheriff of London. Great banquet on occasion of the appointment of Goodchild into the high office of his hometown. With visible pleasure the large company at table enjoys the gastronomic treats of this world: roast, vines, cakes, and many more. And on the gallery the musicians play. Engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: Designed by W^m. Hogarth / Plate 8 / Engraved by T. Cook / Published by T. Cook Islington and G. G. & J. Robinsons Pater-noster Row February 1^st. 1796. 29 x 36.5 cm.

Industry & Idleness VIII. – Impression of finest chiaroscuro on buff paper. In its downright luxuriously wide white margin upper right slight waterstreak. Beyond that – contrary to all later Hogarth editions – in the original size. – Cook “made a name for himself as Hogarth engraver, too” (Thieme-Becker).

“ The rich Goodchild, raised to sheriff of London, offers his entry banquet and that is quite an affair shows off everything. Many poor even appear to speculate on the great remainders as there is much crowding at the door … ”

(subtext of a lithograph).

The master’s famous, most popular suite, showing by example of two apprentices in a weaving mill as one of the main branches of industry in his days the chances of their life as well as the temptations detrimental to their career :

Calculated  for  the  use  &  Instruction  of  youth
w(h)erein  every  thing  necessary  to  be  known  was  to  be  made
as  intelligible  as  possible

(Hogarth in his Autobiographical Notes).

“ The scenes should be as easily intelligible as possible for which the engravings had not to be worked in all fineness. It was rather important to keep costs low so that even apprentices could buy these sheets. Hogarth designed a frame-like border around each picture – supposedly he assumed that the boys would pin up these engravings directly at the wall. In this border below of every scene he had added a characteristic verse from the Bible to the idle and (or) industrious apprentice … at top on the one hand a cat-o-’nine-tails, a pair of fetters, and a halter as emblems of the tragic end of the idle apprentice and on the other hand golden chain, sword and mace as hints to the career of the industrious one ”

(Bachofen-Moser, William Hogarth in the Art Gallery Zurich, 1983, p. 98).
Offer no. 7,534 / EUR  445. / Export price EUR  423. (c. US$ 618.) + shipping

– – – The same in Hogarth’s own etching in an impression from the plate reworked by the royal engraver James Heath (1757 London 1834, “earned applause early”, Nagler) about 1822 (“Even these impressions became relatively rare today though”, Art Gallery Esslingen 1970; and Meyers Konv.-Lex., 4^th ed., VIII [1888], 625: “A fine edition”). Inscribed: Design’d & Engrav’d by W^m. Hogarth. / Plate 8 / Publish’d according to Act of Parliam^t. Sep^br. 30. 1747. 26.7 x 35 cm.

Illustration Hogarth Catalogue Zurich, 1983, 60. – On wide-margined buff paper.
Offer no. 7,702 / EUR  220. (c. US$ 321.) + shipping

– – – The same in Cook’s smaller repetition, but without verse and marginal emblems and with the series title as subtext. Inscribed: Hogarth pinx^t. / T. Cook sculp^t. / Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees, & Orme, Jan^y. 1^st.1809. Subject size 13.3 x 17.6 cm. – Trimmed within the wide white platemark.
Offer no. 8,886 / EUR  65. (c. US$ 95.) + shipping

– – – The same in engraving by Ernst Ludwig Riepenhausen (1765 Göttingen 1840, university engraver there). Inscribed: 34. / W. Hogarth inv & pinx. / Pl. 8. / R. f. 21.6 x 29.7 cm. – Early toned impression. – 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. 7,703 / EUR  197. (c. US$ 288.) + shipping

– – – The same by Riepenhausen as before, but on especially buff paper, supposedly about 1850. – In the margin minimally age-spotted.
Offer no. 7,704 / EUR  176. (c. US$ 257.) + shipping

– – – The same in lithography by C. F. Heintz. (1833/36.) Inscribed: 38. / Lith. v. C. F. Heintz. 22 x 25.5 cm. – Title – Der fleissige Lehrbursche ist reich und Sheriff von London geworden – and extensive subtext à la Lichtenberg in German. – On slightly toned paper. – Rubbed.
Offer no. 7,705 / EUR  50. (c. US$ 73.) + shipping

– – – The same in steel engraving about 1840. 13 x 15.8 cm. – With title in German + English, but without verse and marginal emblems.
Offer no. 7,706 / EUR  46. (c. US$ 67.) + shipping

Further single sujets of the set available in several qualities.

„ Herzlichen Dank für die sorgfältig verpackten Bände … “

(Herr H. M., 26. Mai 2007)