William Hogarth, The Four Times of Day and Strolling Actresses dressing in a Barn

Ian Gordon (Anglia Ruskin University)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Nicole Kennedy (University of Newcastle), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele), Sean Seeger (University of Essex)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1738

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Comedy
Satire

Resources

The Four Times of the Day and Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn (1738) were the first prints Hogarth published by subscription after the great financial success of the subscription publication of A Harlot's Progress (1732) and A Rake's Progress (1735). The Four Times of the Day are similar to A Harlot's Progress and A Rake's Progress in depicting a progress, in this case a chronological one from morning through noon and evening to night, but the prints are unlike their predecessors in that they do not depict a continuing personal narrative. None of the characters in one print re-appears in another. The Four Times of the Day present separate, humorous and satiric cameos of outdoor life in different parts of London at different seasons of the year in the mid 1730s. Although Strolling Actresses...

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2957 words

Citation: Gordon, Ian. "The Four Times of Day and Strolling Actresses dressing in a Barn". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 July 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=12979, accessed 05 December 2025.]

William Hogarth, The Four Times of Day and Strolling Actresses dressing in a Barn

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

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