The Unhappy Pair at Home
1745
This engraving from Hogarth’s satirical series Marriage à la Mode is packed with amusing and meaningful visual details which add up to an indictment of cynical, immoral behavior among the upper classes. After a late night of separate carousing, the recently married couple sprawl in their lavish home, surrounded by tasteless extravagances. Their steward rolls his eyes in disgust, his hand full of unpaid bills.
Hogarth was one of England’s leading artists during the Enlightenment. His “modern moral subjects” employed innovative storytelling through comical imagery, providing simultaneous instruction and enjoyment.
Engraving
15 1/16 x 18 3/8 in. (38.2 x 46.6 cm)
Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection
33.718
Photo: Elizabeth Mann