concept:era early modern
Marriage A-la-Mode
Six-painting satirical series by William Hogarth (1743–1745), National Gallery, London. Chronicles the disastrous arranged marriage between a bankrupt earl's son and a merchant's daughter, exposing aristocratic corruption and moral decay.
Scholarly Significance
Marriage A-la-Mode is Hogarth's most sophisticated satirical series, targeting aristocratic corruption and mercenary marriage. It is a primary source for understanding 18th-century British class structure and satirical painting conventions.