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Very Fou
Geikie, Walter, Etching
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Very Fou
Very Fou
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Category
Museums & Galleries Item
Item no
31578
Title
Very Fou
Description
This etching shows the aftermath of an extended drinking session. A man staggers along the street, steered by a woman and boy - presumably his long-suffering wife and son. He is described as being 'fou', an old Scots term for 'drunk'.
Geikie's attention to detail is characteristically keen. The man's miss-buttoned waistcoat adds to his dishevelled appearance, while the boy's lack of shoes hints at the family's poverty.
The image of a drunken man being led home features in David Wilkie's earlier painting The Village Holiday (1809-11), and is a theme that Geikie returned to several times. Yet rather than make a moral judgement, the tone of these works is unusually even-handed - evoking sympathy for the pitiful drinker as well as his kin.
Artist / maker
Geikie, Walter
Type
Etching
Location
City Art Centre
Exhibitions with this item
Walter Geikie (1795-1835): An Artist of Character
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Scotland
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Eating and drinking facilities
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Alchoholism
Sport and leisure
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Eating and drinking facilities
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Public houses
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