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Does Anything Change?

Tuesday, 6th February, 2007 - The four paintings in William Hogarth's election series are normally housed at London's Sir John Soane's Museum but for the next few months they will be a major attraction at a Hogarth retrospective exhibition at the Tate Britain gallery. The message of the series is described on the Soane's website :

Hogarth's Election series was inspired by the notorious Oxfordshire contest in the General Election of 1754. The Oxfordshire seats had been held, uncontested, by the party of 'Old Interest', the Tories, since 1710.

In 1752 the Whigs, the party of 'New Interest', who already held a large majority in Parliament, decided to contest the Oxfordshire seats and this heralded a two-year campaign characterised by unprecedented levels of bribery and corruption.

Hogarth started the four paintings not long after the General Election was held and by this time the events in Oxfordshire had been widely publicised through journals and pamphlets. The respective allegiances of the candidates and supporters in the paintings can be gleaned from the colours of the ribbons and banners: orange for the Whigs, blue for the Tories.

The paintings were bought from Hogarth by the actor David Garrick and later acquired by John Soane at an auction of the effects of Mrs Garrick in 1823. Soane was not deterred by polite feelings or revulsion at what the Gentleman's Magazine called 'the very many disgusting, if not depraved exhibitions of human nature' in the paintings. Instead he recognised them as the finest of Hogarth's satirical works.

An Election Entertainment

The scene is an election 'treat' given by the Whigs to gain voters' support. The guests are arranged around two tables with the two candidates seated at the far end to the left of the picture.

Canvassing for Votes

The second scene takes place in a village street in front of three Inns, the Royal Oak, the Crown and the Portobello. The landlady of the Royal Oak is counting her 'treat' money. Images of bribery abound, even on the new Inn sign in the foreground where a shower of gold flows from the Treasury into the wheelbarrow of 'PUNCH' the candidate for 'GUZZLEDOWN'.

The Polling

The polling stand is adorned with the flags of the two parties and the candidates sit at back. The Tory candidate is scratching his head, seeming anxious, and the Whig candidate is looking smugly satisfied. The excitement has proved too much for the election agent who has fallen asleep between the two candidates.

Chairing the Member

The successful Tory candidates are being chaired through the streets in triumph.