The Triumph of Science. Text beneath caption: Old Mother Goose (picking her goose):— “Ah! They may talk about the progress of science; but I rather think I have brought it to a stand-still.” Arthur Boyd Houghton, artist; Dalziel, engraver. Fun 5 (12 January 1867): 183. Source: Hathi Digital Library Trust web version of a copy in the University of Minnesota library. Click on image to enlarge it.
Mother Goose, here a stand-in for Mother Nature, makes clear her power over human technology (not science, really). Houghton, whose greatest work is perhaps his illustrations of the Thousand and One Nights (or Arabian Nights) is a great master of fantastic illustration in part because, as here, he shows himself such a fine draftsman in a realistic style. — George P. Landow
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Last modified 8 February 2016