Caricature vs. The Corporation # 03: The South Sea Scheme
In the early 1720s, William Hogarth created a print based on an early 18th-century episode of financial speculation and collapse.
As part of his description of the print in Hogarth’s Graphic Works, Ronald Paulson wrote:
"All classes became addicted to speculation, not only in the South Sea monopoly but also in a throng of parasite companies, some devoted to such practices as discovering the secret of perpetual motion, or extracting oil from radishes or butter from beechnuts … The bubble had burst by the end of August 1720, and ancestral estates and life savings alike disappeared."
The print, titled The South Sea Scheme, shows a chaotic London street scene. On the right, the pedestal bears the inscription "THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED IN MEMORY OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THIS CITY BY THE SOUTH SEA IN 1720."
The South Sea Scheme by William Hogarth
April 1721, Copper-plate engraving
10 1/2″h x 12 1/2″w
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Inscription at the bottom of the print:
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See here ye Causes why in London, |
Trapping their Souls with Lotts and Chances, |
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Leaving their strife Religious bustle, |
(E) Honour, & (D) honesty, are Crimes, |


"So much for monys magick power …"
David Donihue, GreatCaricatures.com financial reform
David Donihue, GreatCaricatures.com

— David Donihue, GreatCaricatures.com

































