Commander Chief Gallery

The New Years Gift, 1858

The New Year's Gift, 1858. This cartoon shows Sir Colin Campbell presenting the leashed tiger of India to Palmerston who, rather in the manner of a lion tamer, shelters nervously behind a chair, reluctant to accept this barely tamed gift'. Pam (To Sir Colin). Well- upon my word - eh! - I'm extremely obliged to you - but - eh! - how about keeping the brute?'. Sir Colin Campbell was made Commander-in-Chief in India by Palmerston in July 1857, at the height of the Indian Mutiny. Following the death of Sir Henry Havelock, Sir Colin was quick to restore British authority in India. From Punch, or the London Charivari, January 2, 1858

© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images

Lord Roberts Superintending the Arrangements in St. Pauls Churchyard, 1897

Lord Roberts Superintending the Arrangements in St. Paul's Churchyard, London, 1897. The two Sheriffs are seen in the immediate foreground, followed by the officers representing the Yeomanry, Militia, and Volunteers, and by Equerries, Gentlemen-in-Waiting, and Attachés. Lord Roberts stands in the centre of the open space. On the right is the pavilion erected on the site of a demolished warehouse. Queen Victoria (1819-1901) celebrated her Diamond Jubilee (60th anniversary of her reign - June 1837-June 1897). Her reign of 63 years and seven months was longer than that of any previous British monarch. Here people watch from rooftops, and crowds are crammed into a temporary grandstand emblazoned with the words: In Every Heart One Prayer - God Save Victoria'. From Sixty Years A Queen: The Story of Her Majesty's Reign, by Sir Herbert Maxwell. [Harmsworth Bros, Limited, London, c1897]

© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images

Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar (1832-1914), British soldier, c1901. Artist: Mortimer Luddington Menpes

Field Marshal Lord Roberts of Kandahar (1832-1914), British soldier, c1901. Frederick Sleigh Roberts (1832-1914) was one of the foremost British military figures of Victorian times. Awarded the Victoria Cross in 1858 for his actions during the Indian Mutiny, Roberts is best known for his march to capture Kandahar during the Second Afghan War of 1878-1880. He was made Baron of Kandahar and Waterford in 1892 and promoted to Field Marshal in 1895. Roberts commanded the reinforcements sent to South Africa in 1900 after the setbacks of the early part of the Boer War. After his successful intervention in the South African campaign, he returned to England to become Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, a position which he held until 1904, when he retired from the army. From The Studio Volume 22. [The Offices of the Studio Ltd., London, 1901]

© The Print Collector