A Midnight Modern Conversation

One of Hogarth’s most widespread prints was created in parallel with the 1732 cycle A Harlot’s Progress. Here the artist parodies the genre of so-called conversations, scenes from social life that since Rembrandt’s time had been a staple in the repertory of representative themes in art. At the same time, Hogarth presents a scathing commentary on the mores of London’s high society. This conversation between people whose attention should focus on one another is parodied as all attention is focused exclusively on the bowl of punch in the centre of the table.