Richard Livesay after William Hogarth – Mr. Ben Read
A rare aquatint by Livesay of, as inscribed below the main title, A member of Hogarths Club at the Bedford Arms Tavern.
Drawn by Him about the Year 1757.
William Hogarth
William Hogarth, (born November 10, 1697, London, England—died October 26, 1764, London). The first great English-born artist to attract admiration abroad. Best known for his MORAL and satirical engravings and paintings—e.g., A Rake’s Progress (eight scenes,1733).
His attempts to build a reputation as a history painter and portraitist, however, met with financial disappointment. His aesthetic theories had more influence in Romantic literature than in painting.