The Drinking Customs of Society or Worship of Bacchus

1864

and Charles Mottram

(British, 1807–1876)

Culture

England, 19th century

Medium

steel engraving

Measurements

Image: 55.9 x 99.1 cm (22 x 39 in.); Platemark: 68.6 x 108.3 cm (27 x 42 5/8 in.); Sheet: 73.7 x 112.6 cm (29 x 44 5/16 in.); Matted: 76.2 x 113.7 cm (30 x 44 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Mrs. Coburn Haskell 1931.434

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

Gin became available in England in the early 1700s. Unlike more expensive spirits, gin was popular with people of all classes, leading to a moral panic that persisted throughout the 1800s.

Description

Made during the Victorian era in England (1837–1901), this grandly scaled print utilizes the imagery of a Roman bacchanalia—an ancient wine-fueled festival dedicated to Bacchus—to convey a frenzy of activities related to alcohol and its role in society. Bacchus, Silenus (his teacher), and a bacchant (a follower) appear as sculptures in the center, while widows and orphans, whose husbands and fathers have succumbed to alcohol, appear below. Foreground vignettes featuring a religious service, social gathering, marriage feast, christening, birthday party, and funeral demonstrate alcohol’s ubiquity in middle-class society. George Cruikshank was part of a movement in England that promoted moderation—or even complete abstinence—in the consumption of alcohol.