"On the Look-Out," by William Henry Boucher

On the Look-Out, by William Henry Boucher (1837-1906). Judy, 2 May 1877, pp. 44-45. Full caption: "If Master Bruin is not very careful, he will damage my property, and then I shall have to interfere!" The Russo-Turkish War had broken out the week before the date of this cartoon, and Boucher and Judy take the Conservative line that intervention should only come when Britain's possessions and direct interests are threatened. In a very urban and middle-class reimagining of international politics, John Bull has emerged from his townhouse to investigate the disturbance in the street, leaving his wife Britannia inside. He finds 'Master Bruin' - the Russian Bear - fighting the Turkish Sultan with rifle, fire and sword, just outside his property, where a blazing torch is about to destroy the 'Treaty of 1856' (the Treaty of Paris, which concluded the Crimean War, and made the Black Sea a neutral space, closed to all warships and limiting fortifications along its coasts). The twin ornamental lions at John Bull's entrance are significant as new additions: 'Suez' and 'Empire of India' can only have been added in 1875 and 1876, respectively, when Disraeli's Conservative government purchased the Khedive's shares in the Suez Canal, and proclaimed Queen Victoria 'Empress of India'.

Commentary by Richard Scully. Image download and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee. You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the person who scanned it and the Hathi Trust, and (2) link your document to this URL or cite it in a print document. [Click on the image to enlarge it.]

Links to related material

Bibliography

Judy, or the London serio-comic journal. Vol. 21 (1877): 44-45. Hathi Trust, from a copy in Harvard University library. Web. 31 January 2022.

Created 31 January 2022