Industry and Idleness

William Hogarth's Industry and Idleness is a series of twelve engravings published in 1747. This work contrasts the lives of two apprentices: one who is industrious and rises to success, and another who is idle and falls into ruin.1

The series illustrates the moral and social consequences of diligence versus sloth. It highlights the virtues of hard work, responsibility, and good conduct, juxtaposed with the vices of laziness, crime, and moral decay. Hogarth used these engravings to comment on the social conditions and moral climate of 18th-century England, advocating for the importance of honest labor and its rewards.12