After - William Hogarth
Archival giclée
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Description
A satirical engraving by William Hogarth from 1736, depicting the aftermath of a romantic encounter with characteristic wit and social commentary.
This engraving, titled After, forms the second part of a pair of satirical prints by William Hogarth, first published in 1736. The work depicts a bedroom scene following a romantic encounter, contrasting sharply with its companion piece, Before. Hogarth employs his characteristic narrative style to comment on the social mores and moral failings of eighteenth-century London society.
The composition shows a man standing, looking somewhat dishevelled and anxious, while a woman sits on the edge of the bed, clutching his coat. The room is filled with symbolic details that suggest a hasty or illicit conclusion to their meeting. A broken mirror lies on the floor, and a small dog rests nearby, adding a sense of domestic disorder. On the wall, two framed pictures depict Cupid in different states, reinforcing the thematic progression from anticipation to aftermath. The technical execution demonstrates Hogarth's mastery of the burin, using varied line weights to define the textures of the clothing, the heavy bed curtains, and the shadows within the chamber.
Hogarth was a pioneer of the moralising print series, often using his art to critique the behaviour of the aristocracy and the middle classes. By presenting these scenes in pairs, he invites the viewer to compare the states of expectation and reality. The print is a fine example of his ability to combine humour with social observation, capturing the awkwardness of the situation through the expressive postures and facial features of the figures. This work remains a significant piece for those interested in the history of British printmaking and the development of visual storytelling in the Georgian era.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
After - William Hogarth
Artist Biography
William Hogarth
He was born in Smithfield, London, near the meat market. His father, a schoolteacher, was imprisoned for debt when William was a child. The experience of debtors' prison appears throughout his work. He apprenticed to a silver engraver and taught himself painting by copying old masters and observing London street life with the attention of a novelist.
He was shrewd about money and copyright. The Engraving Copyright Act of 1735 ('Hogarth's Act') was passed largely through his lobbying. It gave printmakers legal ownership of their designs for the first time, preventing pirated copies. He was protecting his income: the popular prints were his main revenue source.
He painted portraits, historical scenes, and the extraordinary Shrimp Girl, an unfinished head study of a street vendor that anticipates Impressionism by a century. The brushwork is loose, fresh, and immediate. It does not look like anything else painted in the 1740s. He also wrote The Analysis of Beauty (1753), a treatise on aesthetics that argued beauty derived from serpentine lines, which was mocked but was not wrong.
He died in 1764, at sixty-six. He is buried in Chiswick, west London. His tomb has a modest inscription. His influence on British satirical art, from Gillray to Banksy, has no inscription and no end.
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