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A Scene from the Beggar's Opera
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This painting by William Hogarth theatrical scene in 1728-29, depicting a moment from John Gay's wildly popular satirical opera. The highwayman Macheath stands in chains between two women who both claim him as husband, while their fathers look on.
This is among the earliest English paintings of a stage performance. Hogarth included portraits of actual actors and audience members, including the Duke of Bolton gazing at actress Lavinia Fenton, with whom he was having an affair. Hogarth painted at least five versions of this scene. This one is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
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About A Scene from the Beggar's Opera
This version is at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Other versions exist at Tate and Yale. The highwayman Macheath stands in chains between two women who both claim him as husband, while their fathers look on.
John Gay's 1728 satirical opera set in London's criminal underworld was hugely popular. It mocked both Italian opera and British politics. William Hogarth painted this theatrical scene in 1728-29, depicting a moment from John Gay's wildly popular satirical opera.
Hogarth was among the first English painters to depict contemporary theater, combining portraiture with theatrical narrative You can see it at National Gallery of Art.
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