1747
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
The Effects of Idleness and Industry, exemplified in the conduct of two fellow-'prentices is a 1747 by William Hogarth, a Baroque work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
You see two men at a fancy dinner. One sits proud in fine clothes. The other slumps in rags, ignored by the crowd. Hogarth made this print to teach a lesson. The series follows two apprentices—one works hard, the other wastes time. The idle one ends up poor and forgotten. The industrious one succeeds and marries well. Look up Hogarth, William next.
The engraving depicts Francis Goodchild, now wealthy and sheriff of London, seated with his wife as honored guests at a City banquet in Fishmongers' Hall near London Bridge. The hall features large windows, classical friezes, paintings, and a statue of Sir William Walworth, while musicians perform on a balcony above. Servants attend long tables filled with diners, including a group of grotesque figures being served by a young Black servant, while an officious beadle restricts entry to those without proper invitations. Above the scene hangs a portrait of William III, underscoring the civic and…
Read the full account in the museum source.
William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraver, satirist, cartoonist and writer.
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