Illustration by George Cruikshank from Pierce Egan’s Life in London, ca. 1820, which depicts protagonists Tom and Jerry in a gin palace.
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…
Tom and Jerry Taking Blue Ruin after the Spell Is Broke Up
Artist
Date
ca. 1820
From
Life in London
