In the third plate of The Bottle by George Cruikshank, 1847, the doomed family console themselves with gin while bailiffs remove their furniture. Things get progressively worse over five subsequent plates.
Featured on PDR in the essay Liquid Bewitchment: Gin Drinking in England, 1700–1850
The introduction of gin to England was a delirious and deleterious affair, as tipplers reported a range of effects: loss of reason, frenzy, madness, joy, and death. With the help of prints by George Cruikshank, William Hogarth, and others, James Brown enters the architecture of intoxication — dram shops, gin halls, barbershops — exploring the spaces that catered to pleasure or evil, depending who you asked.
Also appearing in the essay…
Other works by the artist in the archive…
The Bottle (Plate 3)
Artist
Date
1847
From
The Bottle
- Exceptional quality, from $32 including delivery
- Archival inks on high grade art paper
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