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The Rake's Progress, Plate 6

The Rake's Progress, Plate 6

Artist/Maker (English, 1697–1764)
Author (British, 1711–1776)
DateJune 25, 1735
MediumEtching and engraving
DimensionsImage: 14 1/8 × 16 1/8 in. (35.8 × 41 cm)
Sheet: 18 9/16 × 24 13/16 in. (47.2 × 63 cm)
Credit LineAnnie A. Wager Bequest
PortfolioThe Rake's Progress
Object number1975.208
Status
On view
More Information
Tom Rakewell is almost unrecognizable in this scene. He is kneeling on the ground, his wig has fallen off, and he shakes one fist in the air with frustration.

Tom is losing another fortune in the gaming den at White’s Chocolate House, the most exclusive gentlemen’s club in London. In 1733, the gaming den inside White’s caught fire; Hogarth appears to be illustrating that historic fire in the background of this scene. However, Tom is so consumed with gambling his fortune away that he is completely unaware of the billowing smoke overhead.
Exhibition History
William Hogarth: Master of Graphic Social Satire
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (November 17, 1978 - December 17, 1978 )
'A more new way of proceeding': Representation and Narrative in the Art of William Hogarth
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (March 23, 1995 - May 29, 1995 )
Hogarth's Progress
  • Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin, OH (January 31, 2025 - August 10, 2025 )
Collections
  • European
  • On View
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator. Noticed a mistake? Have some extra information about this object? Please contact us.