Who painted Arms of the Undertakers' Company?

Arms of the Undertakers' Company was painted by William Hogarth in 1750.

Where can I see Arms of the Undertakers' Company?

Arms of the Undertakers' Company is held by Victoria and Albert Museum.

Artwork

Arms of the Undertakers' Company

Arms of the Undertakers' Company is a print by William Hogarth. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

About this work

Overview

William Hogarth’s 1750 print *Arms of the Undertakers’ Company* is a satirical group portrait rendered on paper. The work gathers a chaotic assembly of men, each rendered with exaggerated facial features and flamboyant wigs, creating a scene that mocks the pretensions of a self‑styled professional guild.

Subject & Meaning

At the centre of the composition stand three identifiable figures: Dr. Ward, the surgeon; Chevalier Taylor, a fashionable gentleman; and Mrs. Mapps, a bonesetter. By portraying them alongside a crowd of caricatured characters, Hogarth lampoons the medical trade, suggesting its practitioners are as much showmen as healers.

Technique & Style

Hogarth employs bold line work and dense hatching to fill the crowded space, while the distorted noses, oversized wigs, and animated gestures heighten the comic effect. Musical instruments and odd props appear in the upper register, adding visual noise that reinforces the sense of disorder.

History & Provenance

The print was issued in 1750 and entered the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, where it remains accessible to the public. Contemporary copies bear a riddling caption in archaic language, a typical device for Hogarth’s satirical prints that invited viewers to decode hidden jokes.

Context

In mid‑eighteenth‑century London, the term “undertakers” could refer to a range of professional groups, not solely funeral directors. Hogarth’s choice of title plays on this ambiguity, using the notion of a guild’s coat of arms to parody the self‑importance of medical practitioners.

Legacy

The print exemplifies Hogarth’s broader project of social criticism through graphic satire. Its exaggerated portraiture and layered textual riddles influenced later caricaturists who used visual humor to comment on professional and societal excesses.