William Hogarth, The enraged musician, etching, 44x50 cm

The Enraged Musician is 1741 etching and engraving by English artist William Hogarth which depicts a comic scene of a violinist driven to distraction by the cacophony outside his window. It was issued as companion piece to the third state of his print of The Distrest Poet. The image is a purely comic scene. While the violinist attempts to rehearse, the noisiest inhabitants of London pass by his window. On the far left a squawking parrot perches above a pregnant ballad-seller singing "The Ladies' Fall" while holding her bawling baby. A young girl with a rattle looks at a boy urinating below the musician's window. In the centre of the picture a young milk-seller calling her wares provides the real focus of the picture. She balances a large pail of milk on her head and is the only subject that looks out at the viewer. This, combined with the large expanse of white apron, draws the viewer's eye towards her. In the bottom of the image there are the title and technique details.