William Hogarth, The Four Times of Day and Strolling Actresses dressing in a Barn

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The Four Times of the Day

and

Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn

(1738)

were the first prints Hogarth published by subscription after the great financial success of the subscription publication of

A Harlot's Progress

(1732) and

A Rake's Progress

(1735).

The Four Times of the Day

are similar to

A Harlot's Progress

and

A Rake's Progress

in depicting a progress, in this case a chronological one from morning through noon and evening to night, but the prints are unlike their predecessors in that they do not depict a continuing personal narrative. None of the characters in one print re-appears in another.

The Four Times of the Day

present separate, humorous and satiric cameos of outdoor life in different parts of London at different seasons of the year in the mid 1730s. Although

Strolling

2957 words

Citation: Gordon, Ian. "The Four Times of Day and Strolling Actresses dressing in a Barn". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 July 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=12979, accessed 23 November 2024.]

12979 The Four Times of Day and Strolling Actresses dressing in a Barn 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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