A Rake's Progress, 3: The Tavern Scene A Rake's Progress, 3: The Tavern Scene Tavern Scene or "The Orgy" is a work by William Hogarth from 1735, the third picture from the series "A Rake's Progress". "A Rake's Progress" totals eight oil paintings from 1732-33. They were published as engravings from 1734. The series depicts the fictional Tom Rakewell's decline and fall. He was the free spending son and heir of a rich merchant. In the story, he comes to London, wasting his money on luxurious life, buying the services of prostitutes and gambling. He ends up in Fleet Prison, and finally at the Bethlem Hospital, or
William Hogarth also influenced many caricaturists of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Hogarth's influence lives on today as artists continue to draw inspiration from his work. Hogarth's paintings and prints have provided the subject matter for several other works. For example, Gavin Gordon's 1935 ballet "The Rake's Progress", to choreography by Ninette de Valois, was based directly on Hogarth's series of paintings of that title. Igor Stravinsky's 1951 opera "The Rake's Progress", with libretto by W. H. Auden, was less literally inspired by the same series. Hogarth's engravings also inspired the BBC radio play "The Midnight House" by Jonathan Hall, based