A Rake's Progress A Rake's Progress A Rake's Progress is a series of eight paintings by 18th-century English artist William Hogarth. The canvases were produced in 1732–34, then engraved in 1734 and published in print form in 1735. The series shows the decline and fall of Tom Rakewell, the spendthrift son and heir of a rich merchant, who comes to London, wastes all his money on luxurious living, prostitution and gambling, and as a consequence is imprisoned in the Fleet Prison and ultimately Bethlem Hospital (Bedlam). The original paintings are in the collection of Sir John Soane's Museum in London, where they are
William S. Robards William S. Robards William S. Robards served as North Carolina State Treasurer from 1827 to 1830. Robards was a member of the North Carolina General Assembly in 1806 and 1808, representing Granville County, where he also served as County Attorney. In 1827, Robards was elected to succeed the late John Haywood as Treasurer and faced the unhappy duty of presiding over an office clouded with much controversy while the shortages in the accounts of his predecessor were uncovered. Following a single term as Treasurer, at the end of which he declined to run for re-election, Robards served for many years