1-150-751 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

'Approaching Dissolution', 1875. Mrs Disraeli on the right runs a Baby Farm. Huddled in the corner behind her are all the Baby Bills. Mrs Hartington, the new Liberal Leader in opposition suggests they be put out of their misery. The bills include Judicature, Land Transfer, Agricultural Holdings, National Debt, Supply, etc. Mrs Disraeli sees no need to take any action because the end of the current Session of Parliament was actually only a couple of weeks away. This cartoon also reflects on the Baby Farms that had for some years caused much concern. Possibly the worst example of the baby farming trade was reported by Charles Dickens in 1849. In an article entitled The Paradise at Tooting, Dickens brought out the terrible conditions that pertained at one particular farm managed by a man called Drouet. Although the risks to the children had been notified, the conditions were so poor that 126 children died in one single outbreak of cholera. From Punch, or the London Charivari, July 31, 1875.