A Harlot's Progress, Plate 4 1732

William Hogarth made this engraving, "A Harlot's Progress, Plate 4," which is now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to depict a scene of 18th-century London life. Hogarth’s series of engravings are known for their narrative quality. Here, we see a room full of women involved in various stages of labor, while the main figure, the harlot, is being disciplined. The setting itself—a workhouse—speaks to the socio-economic conditions of the time, where poverty often led women into prostitution as a means of survival, and into institutions like this one. Hogarth’s work operates within a complex social and moral framework. The artwork, although intending to serve as a cautionary tale, also exposes the harsh realities and limited options available to women, and thus offers us a glimpse into the gendered dimensions of poverty and survival in 18th century London.