In 1841, Messrs. Smith, the eminent printsellers, of Lisle-street, had
the good fortune to discover in the country a duplicate set of the
pictures of “The Marriage à-la-Mode,” by Hogarth; which appear to have
escaped the researches of all the writers on his works. They are
evidently the finished sketches, from which he afterwards painted the
pictures now in the National Gallery, which are more highly wrought. The
backgrounds of these pictures are very much subdued, which gives a
greater importance to the figures. They became the property of H. R.
Willett, Esq., of Merly House, Dorsetshire, who added them to his
already rich collection of Hogarth’s works.
These pictures of “The Marriage-à-la-Mode” are painted in an
exceedingly free and sketchy manner and are considered to have been most
probably painted at the same time as the four pictures of the Election,
now in the Soanean Museum, the execution of which they very much
resemble. There is a considerable number of variations between these and
the National Gallery pictures; and such differences throw much light
upon the painter’s technical execution, which is somewhat disputed.
“Although in some respects rather sketchily handled,” says a critic,
“they are not painted feebly; and if they cannot be called highly
finished, these productions are worthy to rank as cabinet pictures. To
be fairly understood, (to use Charles Lamb’s happy expression,)
‘Hogarth’s pictures must be _read_, as well as looked at.’ ”