“The New Workhouse Porter” (Punch 1866)

The New Workhouse Porter

1866

Wood engraving

Punch (3 February 1866)

Master Prig “Blest if they hasn’t put on a bobby! Pretty state we're comin’ to, with their centralisation! Let’s cut to Lambeth.”

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This editorial cartoon, which seems in the style of John Tenniel, depicts a poor woman and her child gaining admission to a workhouse while two layabouts realize they won’t be able to enter. The cartoon is obviously about centralization of workhouses and the role of the police in ensuring that only the needy enter, but given the near universal criticism of the workhouse as harshly unchristian in both fiction and in Punch’s own cartoons, it seems very odd to encounter a satire on those wanting to spend time there. — George P. Landow

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Last modified 14 September 2017