A Harlot's Progress: Plate 6

I wish I could say that our journey with Moll ends happily, but unfortunately I can't. This is a Hogarth series after all! We now find Moll at her own wake which anyone would be proud to call their own. Look, there's a nice crowd, a parson, a decent casket...which is being used as a bar. At second glace, the parson's hand seems to have disappeared under the skirt of the prostitute next to him. This is an awful wake! It appears as if no one even cares about our heroine's passing. All the other mourners/prostitutes are distracted at their co-worker's wake. One bar-tends, two gossip, another is checking her hair in the mirror while one more steals the undertaker's handkerchief. One prostitute is oblivious to Moll's dead body in front of her as she shows another mourner her injured pinky.

Even Moll's little son seems to not care about his own mother's passing. Whether this is because of her mothering skills or childhood ignorance, we can only guess. He sits under Moll's coffin and plays in front of the rosemary that is traditionally brought to funerals.

There does seem to be one person generally sad about Moll's passing and that is her madam who weeps by a bottle of booze. Maybe it's the booze talking? Or maybe, just maybe, someone does feel the loss of this gentle soul. Considering that this is a procuress we are speaking of, she is likely just mourning one less income to go into her pocket. If so, that means no one actually misses poor Moll who died at the age of 23 in 1731.

This may seem like a harsh satire that Hogarth presents us with but there is some truth in his assertion. Although the path to prostitution may have been a quick fix to poverty, the profession contained many dangers and sadness. Successful and celebrated prostitutes such Kitty Fisher existed, but were still rare. Today still, many young women are faced with the same options as Moll Hackabout and choose the same lifestyle. Like the fictional Moll they fall victim to substance abuse, sexually-transmitted disease, imprisonment, and poverty; not to mention many other awful things. Therefore, Hogarth's humourous satire also contains a frightening warning that should still be heeded to this day, as poor young girls are still forced into this dangerous way of life.


A Harlot's Progress Plate 1
A Harlot's Progress Plate 2
A Harlot's Progress Plate 3
A Harlot's Progress Plate 4
A Harlot's Progress Plate 5

More Tess

I hope you all enjoyed Tess of the D'Urbervilles last Sunday on PBS. The second part will air this Sunday, and it is not to be missed. Also check out Lauren's input on the film on PBS's blog, Remotely Connected, where she talks about the D'Urberville Gaze; which is a little more alluring than the Cavendish drawl!

More Hair How-to's

We all dream of a fabulous pouf. In the past I found this fabulous video of how to style yourself an 18th century coiffure. Well, that's a bit time consuming and not all of us have long hair. That's why you need a good wig. Those also get expensive and sometimes look cheap. We can't have that! Maria found this great site that gives step by step instructions on how to make your own pouf wig and it makes you want to hop on ebay and grab a wig right away. I also heard somewhere that it's best to buy those spray-on Halloween hair dyes in white and grey to get the powdered look. Now all there is to figure out it what kind of hairdo would you have? A la enfant? A la l'inoculation? There is too many possibilities.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

I had the privilege of reviewing Masterpiece's presentation of Tess of the D'Urberfields for PBS.org. Although this film is set in late 19th century England, I just had to write about it here, because it really is a fantastic film.

[Uhoh, there may be some spoilers after this!]

First of all, the whole production is wonderful. Gemma Arterton puts on a great performance as Tess and you find yourself getting emotionally involved in her life. The story is of a young working-class girl who suffers through a series of unfortunate events mostly due to her naive trust in men. But one of the things constantly on my mind was what prudes Victorians were! Then again, that was always my favourite aspect about them.

When Laura Liney introduces Tess of the D’Ubervilles she talks of how it was so difficult for the author, Thomas Hardy to get the book published without censoring the “sexual improprieties.” What were these sexual improprieties you silently ask Laura Liney. She doesn’t tell you but the answer is Tess gets raped by her employer, Alec. As you come to find out, in Victorian society this misfortune puts the woman to blame for the man’s disgusting actions. Hardy sympathetically points out the injustice of blaming a woman for being raped. Ironically, the same act fictionally portrayed in the book is what kept it from being published. Publishers didn’t want sympathy for a “fallen woman.” How crazy is that!

My first reaction while watching the many awful things that befalls Tess is, “thank goodness it isn’t like this anymore!” How can you blame a victim for the crime? But then my mind begins to wander to my favorite century. The 18th century was like a nonstop frat party compared to the Victorian era. However, it had similar literary exploits. Clarissa by Samuel Richardson was published in England about 150 years prior to Tess of the D'Ubervilles. This story is similar in that a young, naive woman who always tries to do the right thing falls victim to a dangerous man. Just as in Tess, Clarissa is raped and becomes a fallen woman. Richardson's book was first published in seven volumes, the longest English-language novel. It was a massive success, was not censored, and the character of Clarissa was almost canonized for her commitment to virtue despite the misfortunes that befell her. So why, 100 years later, did it not become okay to write about this racy subject?

There are many theories as to why the Victorians were so prudish, but one can be attributed to new knowledge of diseases, especially venereal diseases. The eighteenth century was like the swinging sixties compared to nineteenth century which was similar the 1980’s safe sex campaign but to the extreme. I have a feeling that if Tess was published 100 years prior, it would have been seen for what it is, a great story chronicling the social limitations. Hardy would have been hailed for his conscientious approach to the gentler sex. Or perhaps, Tess would have been left by the wayside, forgotten because the subject was not so unusual.

Either way, I most heartily recommend you check out Tess of the D'Urbervilles which premieres tonight at 9:00 on PBS. Don't miss it!