1-150-712 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

Mending the Lesson, 1873. A skinny Britannia tells John Bull to beware of handing out too much charity to the needy. This relates to the serious famine blighting the lives of the inhabitants of Bengal and Behar. Bull is shown presenting the basket of food to a starving woman. Another figure is shown slumped on the ground behind her. This was paid for from the funds raised by a well supported Relief Appeal launched in England. On this occasion, Britannia bears a striking resemblance to the vinegary spinster often depicted as agitating for the vote. From Punch, or the London Charivari, December 20, 1873.