The Midnight Modern Conversation

This picture is an 18th Century copy of Hogarth's famous print of the same name. Most of the figures are thought to be real portraits. The Parson and the Lawyer are thought to be Orator Henley and a notoriously vociferous lawyer called Kettleby. The figure leaning over the Parson has been identified as a tobacconist named John Harrison. A local bookbinder called Chandler is shown smoking and wearing his night cap. Hogarth was often present at these late night drinking sessions and they were all habituees of St. John's Coffee House, Shire Lane. The primary version, by Hogarth, is in the Mellon collection.