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A print depicts a crowd of men on a city street. In the foreground, groups of men are torturing several animals in different ways. On the right side of the image, one dog is tortured with an arrow in its rectum while another has a bone tied to its tail. In the center of the image, men hang cats from a pole by their tails while a crowd looks on and laughs. Text above the image reads "First Stage of Cruelty."
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
G9032
People
William Hogarth, British (London 1697 - 1764 London)
Title
The First Stage of Cruelty
Other Titles
Series/Book Title: The Four Stages of Cruelty
Alternate Title: The Four Stages of Cruelty, Plate 1.
Classification
Prints
Work Type
print
Date
1751
Culture
British
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/274595

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Etching and engraving
Technique
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
plate: 38.4 x 32 cm (15 1/8 x 12 5/8 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: recto, lower margin, graphite: L L. 2 ff
  • inscription: recto, in lower text margin between the first and second columns of verse, brown ink: r. 104
  • inscription: verso, lower right, graphite: Set of 4 B

State, Edition, Standard Reference Number

State
i/ii
Standard Reference Number
P. 187, BM Sat. 3147

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gray Collection of Engravings Fund
Object Number
G9032
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
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Exhibition History

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu