The  Coronation  of  the  Social  Ascent

Hogarth, William (1697 London 1764). The Industrious ‘Prentice Lord Mayor of London. The former weaver’s apprentice Goodchild is escorted home by the people. Next to the state-coach the delegations of the guilds with their flags. One of the guardsmen with an open jug of beer in his left, at his side a boy with leaflet of the true story of the ghost of Tom Idle hanged for murder, once Goodchild’s comrade during his apprenticeship. Engraving by Thomas Cook (c. 1744 – London 1818). Inscribed: Designed by W^m. Hogarth / Plate 12. / Engraved by T. Cook / Published by T. Cook Islington, and G. G. & J. Robinsons Pater-noster Row December 1^st. 1796. 28.6 x 41.3 cm.

Industry & Idleness XII. – Marvellous impression of fine chiaroscuro on buff paper. In its wide white margin quite isolated weak foxing spots and upper right slight waterstreak. Beyond that – contrary to all later Hogarth editions – in the original size. – Cook “made a name for himself as Hogarth engraver, too” (Thieme-Becker).

“ So Goodchild achieved everything what hard work and luck can give to the industrious citizen in London! … all London is in movement and takes part … ”

(subtext of a lithograph).

The master’s famous, most popular suite, showing by example of two apprentices in a weaving mill as one of the main branches of industry in his days the chances of their life as well as the temptations detrimental to their career :

Calculated  for  the  use  &  Instruction  of  youth
w(h)erein  every  thing  necessary  to  be  known  was  to  be  made
as  intelligible  as  possible

(Hogarth in his Autobiographical Notes).

“ The scenes should be as easily intelligible as possible for which the engravings had not to be worked in all fineness. It was rather important to keep costs low so that even apprentices could buy these sheets. Hogarth designed a frame-like border around each picture – supposedly he assumed that the boys would pin up these engravings directly at the wall. In this border below of every scene he had added a characteristic verse from the Bible to the idle and (or) industrious apprentice … at top on the one hand a cat-o-’nine-tails, a pair of fetters, and a halter as emblems of the tragic end of the idle apprentice and on the other hand golden chain, sword and mace as hints to the career of the industrious one ”

(Bachofen-Moser, William Hogarth in the Art Gallery Zurich, 1983, p. 98).
Offer no. 7,538 / EUR  445. / export price EUR  423. (c. US$ 548.) + shipping

– – – The same in Hogarth’s own etching in an impression from the plate reworked by the royal engraver James Heath (1757 London 1834, “earned applause early”, Nagler) about 1822 (“Even these impressions became relatively rare today though”, Art Gallery Esslingen 1970; and Meyers Konv.-Lex., 4^th ed., VIII [1888], 625: “A fine edition”). Inscribed: Engrav’d & Design’d by W^m. Hogarth. / Plate 12 / Publish’d according to Act of Parliament Sep. 30. 1747. 27.3 x 40.3 cm.

Illustration Hogarth Catalogue Zurich, 1983, 64. – On wide-margined buff paper.
Offer no. 7,717 / EUR  197. (c. US$ 255.) + shipping

– – – The same in Cook’s smaller repetition, but without verse and marginal emblems and with the series title as subtext. Inscribed: Pl. XII. / Hogarth pinx^t. / T. Cook sculp. / Published by Longman, Hurst, Rees & Orme, Aug. 1^st. 1809. Subject size 12.4 x 18.8 cm. – Trimmed within the wide white platemark. There lower right foxing spot.
Offer no. 8,890 / EUR  94. (c. US$ 122.) + shipping

– – – The same in engraving by Ernst Ludwig Riepenhausen (1765 Göttingen 1840, university engraver there). Inscribed: 38. / W. Hogarth inv & pinx. / Pl. 12. / R. d. & sc. 24 x 34.7 cm. – Impression on especially buff paper, supposedly about 1850. – On the left trimmed within the white platemark. – Riepenhausen’s engravings after Hogarth (“very estimable”, Nagler) belong to his chief work and are partly even preferred to Hogarth’s own engravings.
Offer no. 7,719 / EUR  146. (c. US$ 189.) + shipping

– – – The same by Riepenhausen as before, but on slightly toned minor paper.
Offer no. 7,718 / EUR  125. (c. US$ 162.) + shipping

– – – The same in lithography by C. C. Böhme. (1833/36.) Inscribed: 42 / C. C. Böhme lithograph. 24.5 x 32.5 cm. – On slightly toned paper. – Title – Der fleissige Lehrbursche ist Lord-Mayor in London – and extensive subtext à la Lichtenberg in German.
Offer no. 7,720 / EUR  95. (c. US$ 123.) + shipping

– – – The same in steel engraving about 1840. 12.3 x 15.7 cm. – Somewhat palish. – With title in German + English, but without verse and marginal emblems.
Offer no. 7,721 / EUR  30. (c. US$ 39.) + shipping

Further single sujets of the set available in several qualities.

“ Sir, yes, (the Rubens) is closer to the one in London (recte Dresden), but the one we have is on copper. Thank you for your time. Highest regards, D… A… (and yes America could use a blessing about now) ”

(Mr. D. A., November 4, 2003)