Hogarth’s house at the Golden Head, Leicester Fields

Hogarth’s chose a ‘golden head’ of Anthony Van Dyck as the sign of his profession: a gilded cork bust that he created and placed over the entrance to his house at No. 30 Leicester Square. This article examines the significance of this symbol and explores Hogarth’s household and business activities on that site

Hogarth and gambling

‘The magic of money’ is William Hogarth’s own phrase, appearing in his print The South Sea Scheme (Pl 1). Hogarth the social activist is best remembered for his attacks on alcoholism in Gin Lane and Beer Street, his concern for animals, and for his charity work for the Foundling Hospital in London. It is less well known that he worried throughout his working life about gambling and its consequences for all classes. Charles Dillon, the historian of the aftermath of the Revolution of 1688, and a student of the ‘culture of risk’ in 18th-century Britain, sees its triple legacy as freedom, knowledge, and – above all – risk, which manifested itself through gaming and gambling. It was a matter of prolonged concern for Hogarth.