The Marriage Settlement, Plate 1
Gérard Jean-Baptiste Scotin II
1745
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Gérard Jean-Baptiste Scotin II
1745
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a crowded room where two families haggle over a marriage contract. A broke nobleman points to his family tree while a rich merchant’s daughter sits ignored. This is the first scene in William Hogarth’s *Marriage à la Mode*, a series that pokes fun at high-society marriages for money. The nobleman’s son slumps in a chair, already bored, while the daughter stares at the floor—neither gets a say. Look up *england, 18th century* to see more of Hogarth’s sharp, funny takes on the time.
