Carse first exploring the theme of the country tavern over a decade prior to painting this picture. Despite the potential vulgarity of such low-life subjects, which included scenes of riotous behaviour and drunkenness, Carse secured at least one prominent aristocratic purchaser, Lord Gray of Kinfauns, a collector of Old Master and modern British painting. Sophisticated patrons such as Gray would have recognised Carse’s appropriation of the sixteenth and seventeenth century South Netherlandish scenes on the theme of ale houses, village fetes or ‘kermis’ and peasant weddings. Carse, however, updated the theme by including contemporary clothing and located his scenes in Scotland with typical indigenous architecture.