Book excerpt: A window into the past which shows us how far we have or haven't come Hogarth's pictures are among the most iconic of the 18th century--his raucous crowds, bustling streets, polite or not-so-polite companies, and all-too revealing tales of human folly, vividly bring the world around him to life. Their fame and popularity rest, above all, on their widespread circulation as prints, not only in England but around the globe, from the artist's lifetime to today.