DISCOVERART

William Hogarth

Strolling Actresses Dressing in a Barn

1738
engraving

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In the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland · as of July 2026

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FROM THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART’S CATALOG

The playful irreverence of this backstage scene is underscored by the kittens in the foreground, one of whom plays with a globus cruciger , or cross-bearing orb, recognized as a symbol of authority throughout the Christian world.

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