The Rake's Progress The Rake's Progress The Rake's Progress is an English-language opera in three acts and an epilogue by Igor Stravinsky. The libretto, written by W. H. Auden and Chester Kallman, is based loosely on the eight paintings and engravings "A Rake's Progress" (1733–1735) of William Hogarth, which Stravinsky had seen on 2 May 1947, in a Chicago exhibition. The story concerns the decline and fall of one Tom Rakewell, who deserts Anne Trulove for the delights of London in the company of Nick Shadow, who turns out to be the Devil. After several misadventures, all initiated by the devious Shadow, Tom
Pamela (paintings) Pamela (paintings) Pamela is a series of twelve paintings by the English artist Joseph Highmore, produced between 1741 and 1743 as the basis for a set of prints. They are free adaptations of scenes from the novel "Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded" by Samuel Richardson. They are now divided equally between the National Gallery of Victoria, the Fitzwilliam Museum and Tate Britain. The book was already a popular one for painters - the younger artist Francis Hayman had produced designs for Gravelot's engravings for the 1742 edition as well as a pair of scenes from the novel for Vauxhall Gardens, also