The Bottle is a series of eight moralistic illustrations drawn by George Cruikshank depicting how alcohol could destroy a family's happiness, health and security. It was inspired by William Hogarth's 18th century painting A Rake's Progress, which showed how a wealthy young man squanders his fortune through gambling and other vices. The Bottle created a sensation when it first appeared in England in 1847 and was enormously popular. The series was produced as prints so that they could be afforded by less affluent buyers because it was believed that alcoholism especially afflicted the urban working class. More expensive versions were also produced both by the original artists and later artists. The Bottle series also led to imitations, dramatic reenactments, and material culture such as tea sets, children’s dishes, and other decorated merchandise.
The Harry T. Peters America on Stone Collection contains one complete set by the original artist/lithographer George Cruikshank and publisher David Bogue, one complete set by George Gebbie, one complete set by Francis Micheline and David William Moody, one complete set by an unknown print maker, and a single print by Elijah Chapman Kellogg. Unfortunately, the collection did not contain any prints from the sequel series, “The Drunkard’s Children. A Sequel to the Bottle.”
