William Hogarth

William Hogarth's Analysis of Beauty Plate 2: Like Plate One, the array of images around the border of Plate Two are related to the central scene of a dance within a country mansion. Of these smaller images the two most important are found in the upper left corner (#71 and #123). In The Analysis of Beauty William Hogarth writes,

"Thus, as two or three lines are sufficient to shew the intention of an attitude, I will take this opportunity of presenting my reader ... with the sketch of a country-dance, in the manner I began to set out the design; in order to shew how few lines are necessary to express the first thoughts, as to different attitudes; see fig. 71, which describe in some measure, the several figures and actions, mostly of the ridiculous kind, that are represented in the chief part of plate 2.

The most amiable person may deform his general appearance by throwing his body and limbs into plain lines, but such lines appear still in a more disagreeable light in people of a particular make, I have therefore chose such figures as I thought would agree best with my first score of lines, fig. 71.

The two parts of curves next to 71, served for the figures of the old woman and her partner at the farther end of the room. The curve and two straight lines at right angles, gave the hint for the fat man's sprawling posture. I next resolved to keep a figure within the bounds of a circle, which produced the upper part of the fat woman, between the fat man and the awkward one in the bad wig, for whom I had made a sort of an X. The prim lady, his partner in the riding-habit, by pecking back her elbows, as they call it, from the waste upwards, made a tolerable D, with a straight line under it, to signify the scanty stiffness of her petticoat; and a Z stood for the angular position the body makes with the legs and thighs of the affected fellow in the tye-wig; the upper parts of his plump partner was confin'd to an O, and this chang'd into a P, served as a hint for the straight lines behind. The uniform diamond of a card, was filled up by the flying dress, etc., and of the little capering figure in the spencer-wig; whilst a double L mark'd the parallel position of his poking partner's hands and arms: and lastly, the two waving lines were drawn for the more genteel turns of the two figures at the hither end." *

A further 'scene within a scene' takes place in the lower right corner. A country squire, pointing to his watch, is forcing his young wife or daughter to leave the dance. The unhappy beauty covertly receives a letter from a prospective lover. At the squire's feet we see his hunting dog barking at the dancers. Its pose is remarkably similar to Hogarth's famous 'line of beauty'.

The set of two Analysis of Beauty engravings take us to the heart of William Hogarth's aesthetics. They were created by the artist as accompanying illustrations to his analytical book of the same name, first published in 1753. Proving to be very popular, however, they were also sold separately from the book.

Analysis of Beauty: Plate 2 was both designed and engraved by William Hogarth. This original engraving is printed upon early nineteenth century wove paper and with large, full margins as published by William Heath in 1822. It is a fine, original example of the satirical art created by the British artist, William Hogarth. Analysis of Beauty: Plate 2; Paulson Catalogue #196, Third and Final State. (Complete Set of Two Engravings).