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
A Rake's Progress normally on display. The filmmaker Alan Parker has described the works as an ancestor to the storyboard. Gavin Gordon wrote a 1935 ballet titled "The Rake's Progress", based directly on Hogarth's paintings. It was choreographed by Ninette de Valois, designed by Rex Whistler, has been recorded several times, and remains in the repertoires of various ballet companies. The 1946 RKO film "Bedlam", produced by Val Lewton and directed by Mark Robson, was inspired by "A Rake's Progress". Hogarth received a writing credit for the film. Igor Stravinsky's 1951 opera "The Rake's Progress", with a libretto by W. H. Auden and