The Sleeping Congregation

Human weakness was an endless source of humor for Hogarth, and his pointed satires sought to draw lessons through full disclosure of people's failings. Here religion-a frequent target of caricature-takes a backseat to more basic needs; sleep and sex, not piety, captivate the faithful during Sunday services. A shortsighted old preacher clutches his magnifying glass as he delivers what is surely a long-winded and dull sermon. Meanwhile, the undignified congregants appear in different stages of slumber, and a portly clerk sneaks an amorous glance at the bosom of a young maiden who sleeps, her dream colored by her biblical reading on matrimony. Hogarth was a master storyteller, incisively capturing the characters and customs of his time in amusing narratives.