A Harlot's Progress [SEP] creator
A Harlot's Progress
A Harlot's Progress (also known as The Harlot's Progress) is a series of six paintings (1731, now destroyed) and engravings (1732) by the English artist William Hogarth. The series shows the story of a young woman, M. (Moll or Mary) Hackabout, who arrives in London from the country and becomes a prostitute. The series was developed from the third image. After painting a prostitute in her boudoir in a garret on Drury Lane, Hogarth struck upon the idea
of moral works, a body of work that led to significant recognition. The collection of six scenes was entitled "A Harlot's Progress" and appeared first as paintings (now lost) before being published as engravings. "A Harlot's Progress" depicts the fate of a country girl who begins prostituting – the six scenes are chronological, starting with a meeting with a bawd and ending with a funeral ceremony that follows the character's death from venereal disease.
The inaugural series was an immediate success and was followed