The Mystery of a Woman’s Legs and a Herd of Pigs in Hogarth’s Chairing the Members from The Humours of an Election (Published By Subscription, 1755–1758)

Of the many obscure details in Hogarth's pictorial art, perhaps the most obscure occurs in the last picture of his Election series, Chairing the members. This series, Hogarth's last, describes an election which takes place in the mythic borough of Guzzledown, making it a satire on the mane...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Notes and queries 2022-12, Vol.69 (4), p.311-314
Main Author: Cowley, Robert L S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Artistic expression
Elections
Hogarth, William
Social criticism & satire
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Of the many obscure details in Hogarth's pictorial art, perhaps the most obscure occurs in the last picture of his Election series, Chairing the members. This series, Hogarth's last, describes an election which takes place in the mythic borough of Guzzledown, making it a satire on the maneuverings behind the 1754 General Election, particularly in the constituency of Oxfordshire. The first picture shows the end of an election banquet organized by the town party, also known as the New Interest, which is followed in the second picture by a glimpse of the bribery which went on during canvassing. The third picture shows the vote in progress and the last, Choiring the members, depicts the parade of the two successful candidates belonging to the country party, the Old Interest.
ISSN:0029-3970
1471-6941
DOI:10.1093/notesj/gjac097