SOANE MUSEUM, Hogarth Conclusion

The sixth episode entitled The Gaming House shows an impressive gallery of faces and gestures emphasizing vice and corruption. The libertine is on his knees cursing his misfortune; his wig has fallen on the ground, revealing his completely bald head. To the right, an enormous lender prepares a note for a £ 500 loan. Almost nobody seems to notice the smoke filtering in from the back of the room, a hint of the fire that will soon destroy it all.

Now look at the seventh, dramatic painting entitled The Prison, where you learn that Tom was jailed for his gambling debt. The scene is quite dramatic: you can see Tom on the left with a terrified expression, while the old woman he had married screams in his ears; a child brought him a mug of beer and is claiming his payment while the jailer asks for a tip. From the various objects scattered around you can see that the libertine has unsuccessfully tried to make money with inventions, alchemy, or writing theatrical plays. To the right, Sarah is fainting at the sight of what her seducer of the past has come to. Of the people trying to hold her up you can see a lawyer and a child, who is the "daughter of sin" resulting from her relationship with Tom Rakewell....