Fustium Admonitio (John Beaver, Roman Military Punishments, 1725) 1725 - 1779

William Hogarth made this etching, “Fustium Admonitio,” around 1725 as an illustration for a book on Roman military punishments. While ostensibly about ancient Rome, we can understand this image as a commentary on the artist’s own time. Hogarth was working in England during a period of intense social change and debate. As a commercial printmaker, Hogarth often satirized the social structures of his own time. Here, he depicts the brutal flogging of a soldier, a common practice in the British military. By setting the scene in ancient Rome, Hogarth could critique contemporary practices, but at a safe distance. The print invites us to consider the relationship between power, punishment, and the individual. To understand this image better, we could look to period military records, legal documents, and of course, the illustrated book for which it was made. Art, like history, is always contingent on its context.