1-150-337 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

'Cardinal Wiseman's Lambs', 1862. This cartoon depicts Cardinal Wiseman, head of the Catholic Church in England. He sits on a mossy rock, playing his pipes and holding his shepherd's crook. Meanwhile, in the background, his flock are setting about one another with some vigour. This relates to a riot staged by Irish Catholics in Birkenhead during October 1862. Eleven of the rioters were taken into custody and could expect to receive some severe punishment. Punch goes on to enquire whether these hooligans could possibly be the same gentle creatures as Cardinal Wiseman's little lambs, whom he regularly tended to depict as innocents, pets, and children. From Punch, or the London Charivari, October 25, 1862.