How did William Hogarth protect his popular prints from imitators?

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Mary Cassatt: Woman Bathing — Printmaking *Woman Bathing*, color aquatint with drypoint by Mary Cassatt, 1890–91; in the Art Institute of Chicago.

To protect his livelihood from the unauthorized reproduction of his work by imitators, William Hogarth actively campaigned for legislation to secure artists' copyright.1

His efforts were successful when the Engraving Copyright Act of 1735—often referred to as the "Hogarth Act"—was passed into law. Hogarth strategically delayed the release of his eight-part series, A Rake’s Progress, until this legislation was enacted, ensuring his popular prints were legally protected from pirated editions.12