A Rake's Progress, Plate 3, The Tavern Scene

A Rake?s Progress, a series of eight etchings by English engraver and painter William Hogarth, was printed as social commentary for the 18th-century audience. The series focuses on the demise of Tom Rakewell, the heir of a prosperous merchant, who squanders his inheritance on an extravagant lifestyle. In the third etching of the series Rakewell attends a rowdy party at Rose Garden, a well-known London brothel. While there, he foolishly spends his inheritance on alcohol and gambling. Inebriated, he is oblivious to the woman at the table who is attempting to steal from his pocket.