A poor London street strewn with hopeless drunkards and lined with gin shops and a flourishing pawnbroker. Engraving, c. 1751, after W. Hogarth.

  • Hogarth, William, 1697-1764.
Date:
publish'd according to Act of Parliamt. 1 February 1751
Reference:
26961i
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Description

The pawnbroker's shop depicted is "S. Gripe pawnbroker", the distillery is "Kilman distillery", a gin shop sign reads "drunk for a penny dead drunk for two pence clean straw for nothing" and a drunkard's paper is headed "the downfall of Mdam. gin"

The area depicted is St. Giles, London

Publication/Creation

[Place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], publish'd according to Act of Parliamt. 1 February 1751.

Physical description

1 print : engraving ; platemark 39 x 32.2 cm

Lettering

Gin Lane. Gin cursed fiend, with fury fraught, Makes human race a prey; It enters by a deadly draught, and steals our life away. Virtue and truth, driv'n to despair, It's rage compells to fly, But cherishes, with hellish care, Theft, murder, perjury. Damn'd cup! that on the vitals preys, That liquid fire contains Which madness to the heart conveys, And rolls it thro' the veins. design'd by W. Hogarth

Reference

Wellcome Collection 26961i

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