The John Howett Works on Paper Gallery will feature the complete series of William Hogarth’s "A Harlot’s Progress." The engravings, originally published in 1732, were the first of several satirical series by the British painter and printmaker that he referred to as “modern moral subjects.” The story of the Harlot illustrates the downfall of a fictional young woman in a corrupt eighteenth-century London.
Sold by subscription, the series was so popular that it was widely copied by other engravers and published in various editions. This led Hogarth to join with other artists to successfully lobby Parliament to enact a law protecting the copyright of engravers.