Industry and Idleness: The Fellow Prentices at their Looms

William Hogarth

Cleveland Museum of Art

A black and white illustration of a room with three young men; the room has a brick wall, a wooden beam ceiling and a diamond-paned window. The room contains two large wooden looms; the left-hand man is standing on a stool at a loom with his right hand holding up a cat; the cat's left paw is on a shuttle on the loom. The man on the left is wearing a low cap. A dog on its hind legs on the floor is looking up at the cat. The man on the right-hand side of the image stands beside a loom on which a second man sits; the standing man wears a hat with a broad brim and a short cloak. The man sitting at the loom on the right-hand side wears a cap and a low-collared shirt; between his knees on the floor are an open book and a spool of yarn. On the wall behind the sitting man are numerous posters; a wheel and spindle are on the floor. The image includes decorative swirls in the corners; on the brick wall beneath the image are two oval writing areas with quotations; on top of the image are the words "The Fellow Prentices at their Loom". Above that is the title: "INDUSTRY and IDLENESS".