Thematic connections to the Hospital
This painting depicts the early life of Moses, prophet and foundling. As an infant, Moses is placed in a basket and sent down the Nile to escape Pharaoh’s deadly orders. Pharaoh’s daughter discovers and adopts him, unknowingly hiring his birth mother, Jochebed, as a wet nurse. Raised in the Egyptian court, Moses receives a royal education and becomes a powerful, benevolent leader.
In Moses Brought Before Pharaoh’s Daughter, the biblical story of Moses serves as an allegory for the Foundling Hospital. This painting, taken from Exodus 11, depicts the moment when Jochebed, finished caring for Moses, returns him to the Egyptian princess. While Jochebed weeps, reluctantly accepting payment for nursing her own son, Moses clings anxiously to her dress. The emotional weight of the separation devastates both, emphasising the powerful bond between mother and child. Jochebed mirrors the original Foundling mothers, who also gave their children away to an institution more materially equipped to raise them. The difficult exchange, pictured here, proceeds peacefully – representing an idealised Hospital exchange. Through her sacrifice, Jochebed gives her son a chance to live.
William Hogarth painted Moses Brought Before Pharaoh’s Daughter with the Foundling mission in mind, donating the painting to the Hospital on 1 April 1747. It hung in the Court Room, which soon became a fashionable place to visit and socialise in Georgian London. It can be seen in the Museum’s Court Room Gallery today.
About the artist
A leading artist of Georgian Britain, William Hogarth critiqued the world around him through sharply exaggerated satire. His most famous works depict contemporary British society during the 18th century, an historical period marked by social inequality and rapid industrial development. The artist did not shy away from recording what he saw. His paintings and prints often feature brutal and humorous scenes, displaying modern society in all its guises.
One of the Hospital’s most famous and influential supporters, Hogarth used his artistry and status to help the Foundlings and draw public awareness to their plight. He designed the charity’s crest, seal, letterheads, and the pupil uniforms; he donated specific paintings, works that explored themes around societal debauchery, abandonment, charity, and love. In his role as a Foundling Hospital Governor, Hogarth was hands-on in supervising Hospital wet nurses throughout Chiswick, where he had a home. He and his wife, Jane, even served as foster parents to some Foundling children.
