William Hogarth, 'Marriage A-la-Mode: 1, The Marriage Settlement', about 1743

This scene is thick with marriage plans, but the couple sat on the left show little sign of being love’s young dream. This is a business arrangement first and last, concocted between a merchant and an aristocrat flaunting his family tree.

What does this hold for the marriage? Look behind the head of the bride-to-be. Where will the whispers of the young lawyer lead? Find out what disaster lies ahead in this great moral satire:

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