Marriage A-la-Mode

Two dogs are chained together near the young couple. The bride and groom show little interest in one another, while their fathers concentrate on documents and money. The small detail of the dogs gives the proposed union an unpromising counterpart. This is the opening scene of Marriage A-la-Mode, William Hogarth’s six-painting satire of fashionable marriage. The Earl of Squander wants money, while a wealthy City merchant wants an aristocratic connection for his daughter. Their children are the means of making the exchange. Hogarth painted the series around 1743, planning for the designs to be engraved and sold as prints. The story could reach people beyond those able to own the original paintings. Its rooms, clothes and objects offer clues to conduct as the marriage deteriorates. In The Marriage Settlement, the earl points towards his family tree while cash lies ready on the table. The future husband admires himself rather than his bride. Begin with those divided attentions and the picture’s social bargain becomes easy to follow.