Waterside labour.

Repro ID: H3847

Description: For many waterside residents gin was the temporary escape from poverty and destitution. Cheap gin was first imported into London from the Netherlands in the 1690s. It became an extremely popular drink in the early 18th century and by the 1720s it was estimated that a quarter of the households in London were used for the production or sale of gin. Mass drunkenness became a serious problem and remained so throughout the 19th century.

Creator: G. Dore

Date: 1872

Credit line: Southwark Library