1738
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn is a 1738 ink by William Hogarth, a Baroque work, held at National Gallery of Art.
The painting shows a group of actresses changing clothes in a barn. They are surrounded by costumes and props. The scene is chaotic, with clothes and accessories scattered everywhere. What's interesting about this work is that it gives us a glimpse into the lives of actors and actresses during that time. To learn more about the methods used to create this piece, look into the technique: etching, drypoint, aquatint.
Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn is a painting from 1738 by British artist William Hogarth. It was reproduced as an engraving and issued with Four Times of the Day as a five print set in the same year.
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The painting depicts a company of actresses preparing for their final performance before the troupe is disbanded as a result of the Licensing Act 1737. Brought in as a result of John Gay's Beggar's Opera of 1728, which had linked Robert Walpole with the notorious criminal Jonathan Wild, the Licensing Act made it compulsory for new plays to be approved by the Lord Chamberlain, and, more importantly for the characters depicted, closed any non-patent theatres. The majority of the painting was completed before the Act was passed in 1737, but its passing into law was no surprise and it was the…
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
While not part of the Four Times of the Day series, it appears that it was Hogarth's intention from the outset to sell the five prints together, Strolling Actresses complemented Four Times just as Southwark Fair had done with A Rake's Progress. Whereas the characters in Four Times play their roles without being conscious of acting, the company in this picture are fully aware of the differences between the reality of their lives and the roles they are set to play. Some of the goddesses portrayed by the inhabitants of the scenes in Four Times of the Day are reproduced here as characters in the…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Source: wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, satirist, cartoonist and writer.
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