The Times, Plate II

Date1795-1822

Engraver William Hogarth (1697 - 1764)

Engraver James Heath (1757 - 1834)

OriginEngland, London

MediumLine engraving and etching on wove paper

DimensionsOther (Platemark): 10 × 12 3/8in. (25.4 × 31.4cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1972-409,133

DescriptionLower margin reads, "The Times/ Plate II/ Designed & Engraved by W. Hogarth/ Published May 29 1790, by J.&J. Boydell, Cheapside. & at the Shakspeare Gallery Pall Mall London."
Label TextIn this companion piece to “The Times, Plate I,” painter and engraver William Hogarth represented the unsteady peace in the Royal Garden of England after the Seven Years War. To the left, Prime Minister John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute acts as head gardener and controls water flow to the fountain that waters the potted trees in the garden. A weak stream towards the back of the garden reaches over the fence to water a crowd, who represent disabled veterans of the Seven Years War. One half of Parliament on the far left falls asleep, while the other half (including William Pitt) fires guns at the dove of peace. This print was Hogarth’s first attempt to caricature politician and journalist John Wilkes. Hogarth accused Wilkes of “Defamation,” illustrating Wilkes in stocks with his newspaper the “North Briton” pinned to his front. Next to Wilkes is Ms. Fanny, also known as the “Cock Lane Ghost” or “Scratching Fanny.” This referred to a sensational ghost story that enraptured 1762 London and turned out to be a fraud. Richard Parson, the owner of the lodging establishment where the ghost was said to knock, was found guilty of conspiracy, pilloried, and sentenced two years in prison. Hogarth first depicted the “Cock Lane Ghost” in his engraving “Credulity, Superstition and Fanaticism,” where he criticized the irrationality of the religious figures who had believed in the ghost.

Due to Lord Bute’s resignation as Prime Minister, Hogarth might have decided that the print was no longer relevant, so he suppressed the print’s publication, and it would not be published until after his death. After Hogarth’s widow, Jane, died in 1783, her cousin sold Hogarth’s copper plates to John Boydell. John Boydell, along with his nephew and business partner, Josiah, published “The Times, Plate II” for the first time in 1790.