1-150-402 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

'Pegasus Unharnessed', 1865. Mr Gladstone, the Pegasus of Free Thought and Free Trade, was, in July 1865, defeated at the Oxford University Elections. In this cartoon, he has slipped his traces, leaving the cart containing bigotry, subscription, tests and duties, embedded in its rut. Gladstone went on to fight for his seat in Lancashire South, from where he could pursue his vision in a way which would have not been permitted of an MP for Oxford University. This was seen by Punch as a good thing for Gladstone and for the country. Earlier in his career, Gladstone had been affiliated with the Conservatives, but his conservative views had always been combined with a deep desire for improvement. So, he had 'outgrown' the Oxford brand of Toryism and was now free finally to move away from the Movement's principles. From Punch, or the London Charivari, July 29, 1865.