ASS3 - Project 1 - Visual storytelling
Research point Published by British artist William Hogarth in 1751, the popular satirical engravings Beer Street and Gin Lane were part of a campaign to curb gin drinking amongst the poor in London. The prints show the consequences of excessive gin drinking on Gin Lane in comparison with the moderate consumption of ale along Beer Street. The verses at the bottom, written by James Towneley, explain the meaning of the images, but most of the meaning is embedded within the image through the use of symbolism and visual metaphor. We may recognise parallels with today’s binge drinking but Hogarth was talking to a contemporary audience. Many of his references may seem a bit obscure now, nevertheless the images still hold a lot of visual language we should recognise. Compare the two images and identify how Hogarth has used denotation and connotation. What has he shown literally through denotation to support his anti-gin/pro-beer argument and what is implied through conn...