The Enraged Musician

The Enraged Musician

A scene in London, possibly near St Martin's-in-the-Fields, with a musician at an open window holding his ears against the noise of the street; a ballad-seller chants while her baby cries, a milkmaid and other street-traders cry their wares, one small boy plays a drum while another urinates under the startled gaze of a small girl who holds a rattle, an itinerant oboist plays, a knife-grinder sharpens a cleaver, and so on. In this state the horse on the extreme right is black (white in the earlier state), the boy's slate trailing on the ground was only half shaded in the earlier state, but is now darkened.

William Hogarth (English, 1697 - 1764)

British Museum

1741

This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or less.

Etched/engraved print on paper

Height: 353 millimetres
Width: 407 millimetres