One Days Sport of Three Real Good Ones. The Corinthians making it up...by showing the Johnny Raws how to Grog it 1823

Curator: We’re looking at a print called "One Day's Sport of Three Real Good Ones. The Corinthians Making it Up... by Showing the Johnny Raws How to Grog It,” made by Henry Thomas Alken in 1823. It's quite a scene! What’s your immediate take? Editor: Chaos! Utter chaos, wonderfully captured. It feels like stumbling into the aftermath of a seriously good – or bad, depending on your constitution – party. Look at those bodies strewn about! The artist really conveys the intoxicating revelry… or maybe just plain intoxication. Curator: Precisely. Alken was known for his sporting scenes, and this one uses layered visual symbols to explore class tensions. “Corinthians” referred to wealthy sportsmen, and “Johnny Raws” to more…rustic characters. See how they're showing them how to "Grog it"? That's naval slang for drinking rum mixed with water, so there's nautical imagery to analyze as well. Editor: I noticed the dog seems relatively unaffected amidst the mayhem; such animals are often perceived to embody steadfast, sometimes innocent, attributes when compared to depictions of human vices. And the print technique! You have to look closely to see the watercolours dancing across the drawing. How did this inform social commentary at the time? Curator: These kinds of scenes tapped into anxieties about social mobility and the blurring of class lines in Regency England. It’s presented with a wink, but the implied message is sharp. The Corinthians might be showing the Johnny Raws how to drink, but at what cost? Loss of control, potentially dignity? The message has a psychological weight to it as well; perhaps a sense of recklessness born out of privilege. Editor: The composition drives that home, I think. It's not a glorious hunt or a noble competition, it is intimate. These social strata are all confined into a singular frame to witness something deeper here, maybe each other's humanity even though class division keeps them far from grasping it entirely. Curator: Indeed. It's a fascinating little snapshot of a society grappling with change. You begin to consider that no one can win when a reckless brand of excess dominates… everyone is in a losing game when nobody keeps score of respect and humility. Editor: The painting shows, vividly, that "grog it" does not mean "grow it," which is an enduring commentary about a certain stratum of social circles. Thank you.