Print from a set of six 'The Modern Harlot's Progress or the Adventures of Harriet Heedless', printed by Carington Bowles, London; British, 1780.

A well-kept interior of a Statute Hall, where Harriet Heedless, identified by the letters HH on the box that she holds, has arrived to find a position as a servant. Harriet's dress, a cap and kerchief over a bodice and apron, identifies her as a country girl. On the wall are two frames pictures of men on horseback and two identical elaborately framed oval mirrors on either side of a three-part window with the central part arched. The hall manager stands (left) behind a counter and talks to a Rake who uses an eye-glass to look at Harriet from a distance. Harriet is handed a card by the 'Bawd', who is dressed fashionably and with her hair piled high under a hat. In the shop are a crowd of people. Next to the window a man strokes a girl on her chin. The window is a Serlian window.

RP No. 92/2553

This is one of a set of six prints telling the story of Harriet Heedless, a county girl who arrives in town looking for a position as a servant, only to be duped into becoming a 'kept woman' and later descending into prostitution and poverty. This set, published in 1780, is based on an earlier set by William Hogarth entitled 'The Harlot's Progress' (1732) and shows how his influence on printmaking remained strong fifty years on.

This print depicts the interior of the Statute Hall, a place where employers paid a fee to inspect prospective servants. However this print echoes a contemporary book by Richard King entitled 'The Frauds of London', which accuses Statute Halls of operating to procure prostitutes.

E.534-1993