Nachtelijk bacchanaal te Londen 1739 - 1765

Editor: Ernst Ludwig Creite's "Nachtelijk bacchanaal te Londen," created between 1739 and 1765, looks like an engraving. It feels like a scene plucked right out of a rowdy tavern. The figures are… well, unrestrained. What social commentary do you see here? Curator: This piece offers a glimpse into 18th-century social attitudes and the burgeoning culture of public spaces. We see a "nightly bacchanal," not a refined gathering. Consider what it meant to depict public drunkenness in this way. What class do you think these people belong to, based on their clothing and the setting? Editor: They look fairly well-dressed, but their behavior isn't exactly aristocratic. So, perhaps merchants, maybe the emerging middle class mimicking the elite, but failing? Curator: Precisely. The "failure" is key. The engraving reveals anxieties surrounding social mobility and the blurring of class boundaries. These men attempt the leisure activities of the aristocracy, yet succumb to excess, losing control in a "bacchanal." This loss of control spoke to the social fears of the time, reinforcing perceived class stereotypes. Notice the inclusion of the verse beneath the image -- how does that influence our reading? Editor: It suggests that each nation has their own way to enjoy or grieve and describes, perhaps satirically, what those are? I'm now understanding this image as less a slice of life, and more a commentary on national stereotypes of the time. Curator: Exactly. By identifying "national" characteristics as differing approaches to pleasure, Creite engages in constructing an idea about nationality in England. Editor: Fascinating! So it shows how public spaces became a place for social performance and judgment during that era. It really shifted my view. Curator: Indeed. Art gives unique insight into that ongoing cultural performance of identity and class in society.