Gin Street
1750
Hogarth created this chaotic scene to shock 18th-century Londoners out of their gin-soaked stupor. It serves as the darker half of a famous pair (the other being the cheerful 'Beer Street'), depicting a dystopian slum where buildings are crumbling and a mother is so drunk she's letting her baby slip off her lap. You can spot a pawnbroker's shop on the right, where desperate people are trading their clothes for booze, and a skeletal figure in the bottom left corner. This was essentially a gritty public service announcement against the 'Gin Craze' that was devastating the working class.
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