The British Lion's Vengeance on the Bengal Tiger. Punch, 33 (22 August 1857): 76-77. Scanned image by Philip V. Allingham. [You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the photographer and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]
Commentary
Like "Justice," this cartoon shows the degree to which Punch and the popular press wanted vengeance against the native troops who had committed atrocities against women and children. Note how using the lion to represent England and the tiger to represent India does several things: first, it conveys the impression that the two parties are equal, which they are not. Second, it relies on a diametrical opposition of England and India, colonizer and colonized, when in fact the British were able to put down the mutiny in part because large numbers of Indian troops remained loyal. [GPL]
More Punch commentary on the 1857 Indian Mutiny (Sepoy Rebellion)
- The Asiatic Mystery
- Full Marching Order
- Every Inch A Soldier
- Justice
- O God of Battles! Steel My Soldiers' Hearts!
- The Red-Tape Serpent--Sir Collin's Greatest Difficulty in India
- The Clemency of Canning
- Mr. Bull's Expensive Toys
- Too "Civil" By Half
Related Materials
- The 1857 Indian Mutiny (also known as the Sepoy Rebellion, the Great Mutiny, and the Revolt of 1857)
- The Epic of Race: The Indian Mutiny, 1857
- Punch's editors tell the story of the 1857 Indian Mutiny
Last modified 17 May 2004