Night - William Hogarth
Archival giclée
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Description
A satirical engraving by William Hogarth depicting the chaotic street life of eighteenth-century London during the celebration of Oak Apple Day.
Night is the final plate in William Hogarth's series, The Four Times of the Day, published in 1738. This work depicts a chaotic street scene in Charing Cross, London, during the celebration of Oak Apple Day. Hogarth employs his characteristic satirical eye to document the disorder of urban life, contrasting the revelry of the populace with the grim realities of the city.
The composition is dense with narrative detail. In the foreground, a drunken Freemason is being led home by his companion, while a chamber pot is emptied from an upper-storey window above them. To the right, a bonfire burns in the street, adding to the sense of mayhem. The background features the statue of King Charles I, providing a sense of place, while various shop signs and architectural elements ground the scene in the specific geography of eighteenth-century London. Hogarth uses the medium of etching and engraving to capture the textures of the street, from the flickering light of the lantern to the rough masonry of the buildings.
This print functions as a social commentary on the lack of order in public spaces. Hogarth avoids idealisation, choosing instead to present the grit and absurdity of the era. The work is a prime example of his ability to weave complex moral narratives into visual form. By focusing on the nocturnal activities of the city, he provides a counterpoint to the daylight scenes in the rest of the series, completing his examination of London life. The technical precision of the engraving allows for a high degree of legibility, ensuring that every small detail, from the expressions on the faces of the figures to the specific signage on the buildings, contributes to the overall satirical effect.
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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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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
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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
Night - 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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