THE SUBLIME SOCIETY OF BEEF STEAKS: THE STORY OF AN ECCENTRIC PRIVATE MEMBERS CLUB, 1735-1867. JOINT EVENT FOR SAVILE AND BEEFSTEAK CLUB MEMBERS

         

The evening will be chaired by Gavin Henderson, a member of both the Savile and the Beefsteak.

Savilian Jeremy Barlow will present an illustrated talk

The Sublime Society of Beef Steaks grew from informal lunches of grilled steaks, held by artist William Hogarth, theatre manager John Rich, his scenery painter George Lambert and a few friends; the venue was the painting room in Rich’s newly built Covent Garden Theatre (site of the Royal Opera House today). The Society was formalised in 1735, with the motto ‘Beef and Liberty’ and a gridiron as its emblem. Odd rituals developed that satirised Masonic practices, while the menu expanded to comprise ‘grilled beefsteaks, baked potatoes, spanish onions cold and fried, beet root, and chopped eschalot (shallots). Toasted cheese ended the repast. Porter (in pewter), port wine, punch and whisky toddy were the drinks’.

Chef Michael will pay homage to this bill of fare, perhaps not too closely. Whisky toddy will be available in the bar before the talk, and port will conclude the meal, along with the Sublime Society’s anthem ‘The Roast Beef of Old England’.

Hogarth’s print ‘O the Roast Beef of Old England’ (1749) –

also known as ‘The Gate of Calais’ – contrasts a weighty joint

of English beef with, just to the right, an emaciated French soldier spilling his meagre bowl of soup in awe.  Far left, we can just see Hogarth himself sketching the scene. The hand on his shoulder and the tip of a halberd above his head belong to

a gendarme, who is arresting Hogarth on suspicion of spying (this actually happened).

Jeremy Barlow’s article ‘William Hogarth, George Lambert, John Rich and The Sublime Society of Beef Steaks’ appeared recently in The British Art Journal. He has written extensively on Hogarth, Rich, and on Rich’s most famous production, The Beggar’s Opera. Books include The Enraged Musician: Hogarth’s Musical Imagery (Routledge) and The Stage’s Glory: John Rich (1692-1761), co-edited with Berta Joncus (University of Delaware). His recording of The Beggar’s Opera (Hyperion) won an Edison Award.

NUMBERS ARE LIMITED TO 40 SAVILIANS

MEMBERS ONLY EVENT