Collection of the University of Pittsburgh Art Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA.
72.1.119

Cruelty in Perfection, plate III

1751 (Date created)
Ink
Woodcut
Prints
0 in L x 16.75 in W x 2 in H x 0 in D
Notes: Sheet Size
(Frame)
Notes: 24 x 20.25
British
Woodcut by J. Bell after William Hogarth
The villainous and cruel Tom Nero has killed his consort, Ann Gill, and is accosted by a mob at one o'clock in the morning. Technically similar to his previous Beer Street and Gin Lane, the Four Stages of Cruelty were intended to inspire viewers towards a more humanitarian outlook concerning both animals and people. The Four Stages were originally produced as engravings, and Hogarth attempted to have it reissued as a series of woodcuts in order to make them (and his message) more accessible to his audience. Financial difficulties (the costs to produce woodcuts were too high) permitted only the last two woodcuts to be published.
In Collection
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