William Hogarth produced the twin engraving Beer Street and Gin Lane at the height of what became known as the London Gin Craze in 1751. They were printed at the same time as Hogarth's friend Henry Fielding published his contribution to the debate on gin: An Inquiry into the Late Increase in Robbers.
The gin crisis was genuinely severe, and Hogarth's paintings and prints were not as much caricature as one might assume. From 1690 onward, the Bri...
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William Hogarth produced the twin engraving Beer Street and Gin Lane at the height of what became known as the London Gin Craze in 1751. They were printed at the same time as Hogarth's friend Henry Fielding published his contribution to the debate on gin: An Inquiry into the Late Increase in Robbers.
The gin crisis was genuinely severe, and Hogarth's paintings and prints were not as much caricature as one might assume. From 1690 onward, the British government had encouraged the industry of distilling, as it helped prop up grain prices, which were then low, and increase trade, particularly with colonial possessions. Indeed, Daniel Defoe and Charles Davenant, among other, particularly Whig economists, had seen distilling as one of the pillars of British prosperity in the balance of trade (although Defoe later changed his mind and argued in support of anti-gin legislation). However, there was no quality control whatsoever, and licences for distilling required only the application. By...
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