Social Political & Satirical

40x28 cm

Set of 12 Plates of the Idle and Industrious Apprentice from the last edition of the original Hogarth engravings, the 'Heath edition'.
Plate 1: INDUSTRY and IDLENESS The Fellow 'Prentices at their Looms.
Plate 2: The INDUSTRIOUS 'PRENTCE performing the duty of a Christian.
Plate 3: The IDLE 'PRENTICE at Play in the Church Yard during Divine Service.
Plate 4: The INDUSTRIOUS 'PRENTICE a Favourite, and entrusted by his Master. 
Plate 5: The IDLE 'PRENTICE turn'd away, and sent to Sea.
Plate 6: The INDUSTRIOUS 'PRENTICE out of his time, & Married to his Master's Daughter.
Plate 7: The IDLE 'PRENTICE return'd from Sea, & in a Garret with a common Prostitute.
Plate 8: The INDUSTRIOUS 'PRENTICE grown rich, & Sheriff of London.
Plate 9: The IDLE 'PRENTICE betrayedand taken in a Night-Cellar with his Accomplice.
Plate 10: The INDUSTRIOUS 'PRENTICE Alderman of London, the Idle one brought before him & Impeach'd by his Accomplice.
Plate 11: The IDLE 'PRENTICE Executed at Tyburn.
Plate 12: The INDUSTRIOUS 'PRENTICE Lord-Mayor of London.
All plates have the imprint Design'd & Engraved by W.m Hogarth | Publish'd according to Act of Parliament Sep.30. 1747.
Published in The Works of William Hogarth, from the Original Plates restored by James Heath…London:
Printed for Baldwin & Cradock, Paternoster Row, by G. Woodall, Angel Court, Skinner Street.
William Hogarth (1697-1764), apprenticed as an engraver, became the most signifiant artist and printmaker of his time, his satirical caricatures and political cartoons establishing the genre. From 1730 Hogarth established his own business publishing and selling his own prints. After his death his plates passed to his wife Jane who continued issuing his prints until her own death in 1789. The plates were then acquired by publisher John Boydell and sold again, at the Boydell bankruptcy sale in 1818 to Baldwin & Cradock who began selling prints from 1820. Noted engraver James Heath was employed to strengthen some of the engraved lines and this final issue of 1822 is the last to use Hogarth's original engraved plates. 
The page sizes are 49x63cm. and Plates 1 to 10 are printed two to the page, each plate being approx 35x27cm. There is sufficient space between the pairs of prints (minimum 2.5cm) on the page for separation and framing if required. Plates 11 & 12 are 40x28cm. printed centrally to the page. 
All pages have a waterstain to top left corner which just reaches the plate edge on plates 1,3,5,7 & 9. There are a short tears to the  bottom edge of the page under plates 6,8,& 10, the tear under plate 18 just reaching the plate edge. All repaired verso with archival tape. Some spotting mostly confined to the margin outside the plate area under plates 2,4 6 & 8.
OTHERWISE THIS IS A GOOD CLEAN SET FROM THE LAST GENUINE HOGARTH EDITION.
PRICE IS FOR THE SET OF 12 PRINTS.