Hogarth’s Satirical View of the Church William Hogarth (1697–1764) was one of the foremost satirical artists of his day. This image mocks a London Methodist meeting, where the congregation swoons in enthusiasm over the preacher’s sermon. The woman in the foreground giving birth to rabbits is an allusion to a hoax perpetrated in 1726 by a servant named Mary Tofts; the gullibility of those who believed Tofts is likened to that of the Methodist congregation.
(From Hogarth Restored: The Whole Works of the Celebrated William Hogarth, 1812/Private Collection/The Stapleton Collection/Bridgeman Images)