Industry and Idleness

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Industry and Idleness is a series of 12 comic engravings created by William Hogarth in 1747. His earlier series, such as A Harlot's Progress (1731) and Marriage a-la-mode (1743), were painted first, with engravings being produced from the paintings; Industry and Idleness was his first series created as a set of engravings, with prints were sold for 1 shilling each (12 shillings for a complete set). It may be assumed that these prints were aimed for a wider and less wealthy market than his earlier works.

In addition to their comic content, the engravings had a didactic moral role, "calculated for the use and instruction of youth". Hogarth was a Governor of Thomas Coram's Foundling Hospital from its establishment in 1739.

Each print is accompanied by explanatory texts from the Bible. The images show two apprentices starting out together on adjacent looms. Lazy Tom Idle descends into criminality, ending at the gallows at Tyburn; by contrast, the industrious Francis Goodchild is lucky enough to marry his master's daughter, and take over his business, becoming Sheriff, Alderman and finally Lord Mayor of London. The idle apprentice is sent to the gallows by the industrious apprentice himself. Despite its moral message, the series also displays an underlying ambivalence to the fates of its protagonists: Tom Idle leads a dissolute and hedonistic life, but Francis Goodchild is bored by his.

Hogarth's initial drawings and the copperplate engravings are held by the British Museum.

[edit] External links

• MA Dissertation on Industry and Idleness
• The Literary Encyclopedia