How did Richard Hogarth’s struggles with printers and booksellers affect William Hogarth?

Richard Hogarth’s negative experiences with printers, booksellers, and wealthy patrons profoundly shaped his son, William Hogarth. Witnessing his father’s "shabby treatment" fostered a deep-seated distrust of learning in the young artist and fueled a strong sense of self-assertiveness and independence of character.1

These early observations had a lasting impact on William’s professional life:

• Professional Autonomy: The resentment toward those who exploited his father drove William to seek financial and artistic independence. He was determined to avoid the "unwelcome dependence" on booksellers that he felt had diminished his father’s career.1
• Copyright Advocacy: William’s desire to safeguard his own livelihood from the unscrupulous practices he associated with his father’s struggles led him to fight for legislation protecting artists' copyrights. This effort culminated in the 1735 passage of the Hogarth Act, which allowed him to control his work and protect it from pirated editions.2
• Career Approach: His father’s inability to provide more than a basic start forced William to adopt a pragmatic, unconventional approach to his own training and career, ultimately leading to his development as an intuitive realist.1