Beer Street, William Hogarth, 1751

A flourishing urban scene with well fed citizens; in the foreground, butchers, fish wives and a city of london porter hold large tankards of beer; a butcher lifts a joint of meat into the air with one hand; in the background, paviours repair the street, chairmen carry a stout lady, tailors sew in a well lit attic, builders work on the roof of a house clad with scaffolding, and a warehouseman hauls a barrel to an upper storey - all are drinking beer; poverty appears only in the ragged coat of the artist painting the tavern sign and, more particularly, in the collapsing house of "n pinch pawn broker". 1751 etching and engraving. Date: 1751. Dimensions: Height: 384 mm; Width: 318 mm. Medium: paper. Collection: British Museum. Beer Street (BM 1880,1113.4473)