Strolling actresses dressing in a barn
Strolling actresses dressing in a barn

Currently not on view

Strolling actresses dressing in a barn,

1738

William Hogarth, British, 1697–1764
Published by William Hogarth, British, 1697–1764
x1954-67
Hogarth is best known for his humorous, often ribald paintings and prints satirizing British society and current events. By the 1720s, he had started a successful publishing enterprise issuing engravings after his paintings, beginning a strong British tradition of graphic satire. Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn reproduces a painting of the same title from 1738 that lampoons the Licensing Act of 1737. An act of censorship, the law declared that new plays could only be produced in England with an official license, closing down any non-patented theaters and thus ending the roving actor’s way of life.

Information

Title
Strolling actresses dressing in a barn
Dates

1738

Maker
William Hogarth
Published by William Hogarth
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
plate: 45.1 x 56.7 cm. (17 3/4 x 22 5/16 in.) sheet: 45.6 x 57.5 cm (17 15/16 x 22 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Henry K. Dick, Class of 1909
Object Number
x1954-67
Place Made

Europe, England, London

Inscription
Inscribed in plate, lower left: Invented Painted Engraved & Publish'd by Wm Hogarth March the 25th 1738. According to Act of Parliament.
Reference Numbers
Paulson 156 (1965), 150 (1989)
Culture
European, British
Type
prints, engravings
Materials
printing ink
Techniques
engraving (printing process)
Subject
barns, women, figures (representations), groups of people, actors, nudes, satires

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