November 10, 2006
Gratuitous Historickal Posting
Happy Birthday, William Hogarth! Born this day in 1697, Hogarth was one of a group of very talented painters, engravers and caricaturists who chronicled and satirized life in England in the 18th Century. His work encompassed a wide range of subjects from morality to politics, history to fashion and fad. The print above, one of my favorites, is entitled "The Enraged Musician" (1741) and is a humorous commentary on the hurly-burly of life in London, which produced a level of noise quite shocking to foreign visitors, including the violinist pictured here. (If memory serves, Papa Haydn was later to remark on the noisiness of the place when he came.)
Posted by Robert at November 10, 2006 09:57 AM | TrackBackI love this engraving as well. I own a copy of it (1799 printing). It is hanging on my living room wall. Across from "The Rakes Progress."
Posted by: The Maximum Leader at November 10, 2006 11:13 AMHogarth rocks, and "The Rake's Progress" might well be my personal fave. On a totally unrelated note, I can't believe that history geeks like yourselves would overlook the fact that today is the 232nd anniversary of the creation of the US Marine Corps.
Posted by: utron at November 10, 2006 12:06 PM
Image courtesy of the lovely and talented 