1-239-017 - The London Archives (City of London)/Heritage Images

'Anacreontick's in full Song', 1801. A scene of drunkenness and excess; the man in the foreground smoking a pipe has extremely swollen legs, a result of gout, associated with heavy drinking. Other men sing, laugh, or read. A pile of empty bottles lies in the corner, with a spittoon and broken pipes.The clock, with hats either side, shows twenty-to-four, possibly in the morning. To the left is a portrait of Anacreon, the Greek poet whose work inspired the formation of the The Anacreontic Society which was, in fact, very fashionable and the Prince Regent was a member.