The Sleeping Congregation, 1728, William Hogarth, British, 1697-1764, 21 3/4 x 18 1/4 in. (55.25 x 46.36 cm) (canvas), Oil on canvas, England, 18th century, This rough oil sketch is Hogarths earliest dated painting. As a social satirist, Hogarth favored familiar, everyday subjects presented with a wry, comic twist. Here, the ministers dull sermon has put the entire congregation to sleep before he is halfway through (note the hourglass by the pulpit).