The new middle classes wanted to purchase artworks, a pursuit that had formerly been available only to aristocracy. As a business man Hogarth wanted to take advantage of this new market, but as an artist he wanted to satirise this new society and the downside of their fashionable lifestyles.

Hogarth did not feel that his "Conversation" portraits brought him sufficient income. He invented what we now know as the "Progresses". These were a sequence of painted pictures - similar to acts in a play - which told a story of modern morals. Using recognisable London characters and places, the stories portrayed the punishment of particular vices. The paintings were then engraved, allowing them to be mass produced. The first of these was "The Harlot's Progress", which tells the story of a country girl who comes to London, becomes a mistress and then a prostitute, has a spell in prison, falls ill and dies of venereal disease, aged 23, leaving behind a small son. Plates 2 through to 6 of this progress are shown in this Pathfinder. "The Harlot's Progress" had huge sales and was popular with all London society. The prints were so successful, that pirate copies soon appeared. To protect his interests, Hogarth campaigned for the Engraver's Copyright Act, which was later passed in Parliament in 1735.

Continuing with the successful progresses, Hogarth produced "The Rake's Progress" in 1735 and "Marriage a la Mode" in 1743. These series provided further social commentary on the lack of morality and trivial nature of fashionable society. Hogarth's unstable childhood undoubtedly had an influence on the subject matter of his artworks. However, it also shaped his concerns as an adult for vulnerable young adults and children and as a result he was involved in various philanthropic initiatives, including his position as governor of St Bartholomew's Hospital.

The importance of Hogarth's paintings and engravings cannot be underestimated. His influence can be seen in the work of political cartoonists and contemporary satirists. Writers such as Charles Dickens and William Hazlitt have also drawn on Hogarth's work." />

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