The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 19, 2025
Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn
1738
(British, 1697–1764)
Platemark: 45 x 56.5 cm (17 11/16 x 22 1/4 in.); Sheet: 48.8 x 62.6 cm (19 3/16 x 24 5/8 in.)
Catalogue raisonné: Burke and Caldwell 181; Paulson 156
Location: 101A Prints & Drawings
Did You Know?
The playful irreverence of this backstage scene is underscored by the kittens in the foreground, one of whom plays with a globus cruciger, or cross-bearing orb, recognized as a symbol of authority throughout the Christian world.Description
Known for his satire, William Hogarth considered this print a protest of British prime minister Robert Walpole’s Licensing Act of 1737, which gave the government power to heavily censor theatrical productions. A reference to the act appears on a large crown in the left foreground, near a playbill. Still, Hogarth poked fun at the somewhat indulgent lifestyle of players by juxtaposing the actresses’ challenging reality with the stage sets and costumes that portray lofty classical deities and the heavens. The shabby and chaotic backstage is made more so by the hefty consumption of wine and other alcoholic beverages, even among younger people.- ?–1959Mr. and Mrs. Milton Rose, New York, NY, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OHDecember 19, 1959–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- In Vino Veritas (In Wine, Truth). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 7, 2025-January 11, 2026).Two Hundred Years of British Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 9, 1984-February 3, 1985).The Artist and the Theater. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 5-September 12, 1960).
- {{cite web|title=Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn|url=false|author=William Hogarth|year=1738|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1959.310