“In a bad way” from “Fun” (1887)

In a bad way

John Gordon Thomson (1841-1911)

Dalziel Brothers, engravers

Fun (24 August 1887): 81

Dr. Bull: —“H’m — acute unionitis and inflammation of the Glasgovian and Northwinching membranes. Great loss of power and general weakness. You must give up business at once.”

Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury (1830-1903)

William E. Gladstone

Fun on Ireland

Courtesy of the Suzy Covey Comic Book Collection in the George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.

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[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the University of Florida library and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one. — George P. Landow

The Context of the cartoon: the political situation

Following the defeat of Gladstone's bill for Irish Home Rule with his party reinforced by the addition of Joseph Chamberlain's "Liberal Unionists": Liberals who opposed Gladstone's attempts to give home rule to Ireland. Salisbury's Chancellor of the Exchequer was Lord Randolph Churchill — father of Winston Churchill — nother unpredictable ally. Salisbury was reported as saying, 'I have four departments —the Prime Minister's, the Foreign Office, the Queen and Randolph Churchill; the burden of them increases in that order'. In December 1886 Churchill resigned after a series of differences with Salisbury: it is thought that he did not expect his resignation to be accepted and was most surprised when it was. Salisbury's habit of appointing his family to positions of power is thought to have been the origin of the expression, "Bob's your uncle": in 1887 he appointed his nephew Arthur Balfour as Chief Secretary of Ireland. — Marjorie Bloy.

Last modified 26 April 2016