Great popularity was enjoyed by the Fashionable marriage series, in which the artist, with the thoroughness of the byt writer, told about the mores of his contemporary society. “Fashionable marriage” was the first satirical series, ridiculing the mores of the upper strata of society. The theme of the series was a marriage of convenience between the son of an impoverished aristocrat and the daughter of a wealthy merchant.
In the first episode, a marriage contract is signed. The bride and groom do not even look at each other. The groom admires his reflection in the mirror, the bride flirting with the young adviser Silvertang. The groom’s father holds in his hands a scroll with a family genealogical tree – his only treasure. The bride’s father, dressed very modestly, is holding a marriage contract.
In the foreground, two dogs, bound by one chain, symbolize this marriage. The paintings on the walls are David and Goliath, The Martyrdom of St. Lawrence, The Murder of Abel, St. Sebastian, Judith and Holofernes, a hint at the inevitable sad end of such a marriage.
The Countess’s Death by William Hogarth 
Captain Lord George Graham in his cabin by William Hogarth 
Conclusion of the marriage contract by Jean Antoine Watteau 
Marriage a la Mode by William Hogarth 
Boudoir of the Countess by William Hogarth 
Celebration of the wedding contract by Mikhail Shibanov 
Piva Street by William Hogarth 
Unequal marriage by Vasily Pukirev