The Idle Prentice Turned Away and Sent to Sea 1747

This etching, "The Idle Prentice Turned Away and Sent to Sea," was made by William Hogarth in 1747. It's a work made entirely by lines incised into a copper plate, a process requiring meticulous skill and a keen eye. Hogarth used a technique called engraving, painstakingly cutting lines into the metal, and etching, where acid eats away at the exposed parts of the plate to create the image. Notice the fineness of the lines, creating depth and texture, from the turbulent waves to the distant windmills. This print is one of a series of twelve, meant to be affordable and accessible. The material itself – the copper plate and the ink – are integral to the print's social meaning, because prints were distributed in multiples, it could reach a wide audience, delivering its moral message about hard work and the consequences of idleness to the rising middle class. The social commentary, rendered through the precise medium of printmaking, really speaks volumes.