The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 22, 2025

The Drinking Customs of Society or Worship of Bacchus

1864

George Cruikshank

(British, 1792–1878)

and Charles Mottram

(British, 1807–1876)
England, 19th century
steel engraving
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.)
Gift of Mrs. Coburn Haskell 1931.434
Location: 100 1916 Lobby

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.
  • ?–1931
    Mrs. Coburn Haskell, Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    November 25, 1931–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • In Vino Veritas (In Wine, Truth). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 7, 2025-January 11, 2026).
    Two Hundred Years of British Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 9, 1984-February 3, 1985).
    Humor in Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 13-October 28, 1934).
  • {{cite web|title=The Drinking Customs of Society or Worship of Bacchus|url=false|author=George Cruikshank, Charles Mottram|year=1864|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1931.434