In the opening plate of George Cruikshank’s The Drunkard’s Children, 1848, the ill-fated offspring are depicted 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…
The Drunkard’s Children (Plate 1)
Artist
Date
1848
From
The Drunkard’s Children
Image Size
1500 x 1148
