A Rake’s Progress (plate 4)
- Artist: William Hogarth
- Date: 1735
- Medium: Etching and engraving on paper
- Dimensions: image: 318 x 387 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
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About this artwork
This is the “A Rake’s Progress (plate 4)” by William Hogarth. It’s an etching and engraving from 1735, part of a series of eight that satirises the moral decline of Tom Rakewell, a nouveau‑riche playboy who squanders a fortune on drinking, gambling and prostitution.
In this plate, Rakewell is shown in a sedan chair making his way to St James’s Palace. The illustration captures the moment he’s seized by a bailiff for unpaid debts—an arrest that brings the whole moral lesson into sharp focus. The scene is crowded with the bustling London street, a bright streetlight, a stray dog, and even a card game being played on a nearby bench, all of which underline the chaotic world Rakewell has immersed himself in.
His former lover, Sarah Young—now a seamstress—witnesses the arrest and offers her purse to the bailiff, effectively saving him from immediate ruin. Hogarth uses this moment to underline the theme of repentance and the fickleness of social status. The work was published in June 1735, the same month the Engravers’ Copyright Act took effect, giving Hogarth legal protection for his prints. The series is a classic example of 18th‑century social commentary, using humor and irony to warn viewers about the dangers of excess.
See it in person
A Rake’s Progress (plate 4) is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
