Opium smokers.

Repro ID: H3165

Description: Although primarily aimed at the Chinese market, opium was also imported into Britain and was not prohibited because it was thought to be medically beneficial. Laudanum, which was made from opium was also used as a pain killer, to induce sleep and to suppress anxiety. The famous literary opium addicts Thomas De Quincey, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Wilkie Collins also took it for its pleasurable effects. The Limehouse area in London was notorious for its opimum dens, many of which catered for Chinese sailors as well as English addicts.

Creator: Unknown

Date: c. 1890

Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London