The Drinking Customs of Society or Worship of Bacchus

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.