William Hogarth, A Harlot's Progress 2

Moll is now living the high life, as the mistress of a rich man. As much as she smiles, she doesn't seem so happy, innocently knocking down the table to distract attention from her other lover being hurried out of the room by the maid. 

I don't even like such a use of the term "lover", as there is no love in mere lust. I have a similar response when people speak about "sleeping" with someone—to actually sleep together is an act of total trust, not of cheap gratification. 

Moll is expensively clothed, drinking her tea from fine china. She has a pet monkey, and a young African servant. None of that came cheap. Do we still really believe that money will buy happiness? 

Scholars make much about the pictures behind her, as they are depictions of scenes from the Old Testament. Surely her "provider" is a wealthy Jewish merchant, who has made his cash from investments in trade with the New World? 

I don't know about that, but I do know something about the wrath of God. We reap what we sow. 

Let's not pretend there isn't an obvious "nip slip"in the image. They have made her into an object, not a person. 

Note the theatrical mask over on the left. 

When has lust, compounded by deception, ever worked out for anyone? 

William Hogarth, A Harlot's Progress, Plate 2 (1732)