1-150-391 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

'Father Thames Himself Again', 1865. 'Lor Bless Yer R'Y'L 'Ighness! I ain't the Same River since I Gave up Scavenging and Turned Waterman! In the late 1850s, the River Thames had been so badly polluted that action had had to be taken to bring it back to life. A programme of regeneration had been launched in 1858 and here the results can be seen. Father Thames, originally depicted as a vile creature, ornamented with dead cats and broken kettles is now smart and clean. Fish live and thrive in the clear waters, and swans, the Royal Bird, paddle majestically around London Bridge. The royal is possibly the future King Edward VII. From Punch, or the London Charivari, April 15, 1865.