Table wars

Apart from conversation and social contacts, the Athenian cafes served many functions. They were political party centres and places where aspiring ministers presented their programs and ideas. Deputies sat and counted the votes they had received or could receive in their provinces. And the most ambitious patrons used a pencil and a table to plan wars and battles that would liberate Constantinople as they loudly sipped their coffee.

Creator: James Robertson (early 1850s)
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art