William Hogarth 1697-1764 The Harlots Progress.
The set of six large folio size copper engravings from "The works of William Hogarth" from the original plates, restored by James Heath and printed for Baldwin, Cradock and Joy, Paternoster Row. In 1822.
39 by 31.5 cms plate. Wide margins 64 by 48 cms. some general timestaining and foxing to no real detriment.
William Hogarth was born in London, the son of a schoolmaster and writer from Westmoreland. After apprenticeship to a goldsmith he began to produce his own engraved print designs satirising contemporary customs, of which the first was The Harlot's Progress (1731), and perhaps the most famous being The Rake's Progress. His engravings were so plagiarised that he lobbied for the Copyright Act of 1735, commonly referred to as 'Hogarth's Act,' as a protection for writers and artists.