Images Dated 2005

Scene from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, 1843. Artist: John Leech

Scene from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, 1843. The irascible, curmudgeonly Ebenezer Scrooge, sitting alone on Christmas Eve, is visited by the ghost of Marley, his late business partner. The same night he is visited by three more apparitions, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future, whose revelations cause him to wake on Christmas Day a changed man. He sends a turkey to Bob Cratchit his clerk, thoroughly enjoys the festivities and becomes a kindly, jolly old man. From A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. (London, 1843). This was the first in the series of five Christmas books Dickens published

© Ann Ronan Picture Library / Heritage-Images

'Telescopic Philanthropy', 1865. Artist: John Tenniel

'Telescopic Philanthropy', 1865. 'Little London Arab. Please 'M, Ain't We Black Enough to be Cared For? (With Mr. Punch's Compliments to Lord Stanley.)' In his novel, Bleak House, Dickens had highlighted and satirised the growing numbers of the middle classes who expended much time, effort and money on raising funds to 'civilise' (particularly black) foreign peoples, rather than concentrating on the problems of the poor at home. This 'telescopic philanthropy' was epitomised by Mrs Jellyby in Bleak House, but here is represented by Britannia who has her eyes fixed so firmly on the distant horizon that she fails entirely to see the three children at her feet who, like Dickens' Jo, represent the estimated 30, 000 homeless children living on the streets of London. From Punch, or the London Charivari, March 4, 1865

© The Print Collector / Heritage-Images

'The Divided Skirt', 1886. Artist: Joseph Swain

'The Divided Skirt', 1886. This cartoon shows the Liberal Prime Minister, Gladstone. Now 76 years of age, and in his third term in office, Gladstone was undoubtedly the grandee of the Commons. By now, he had been dubbed the 'Grand Old Man' by Henry Labouchere in 1881, and this had been shorted to GOM by many. He is fitting a decidedly matronly Britannia with her first divided skirt. This relates to one of Gladstone's first Bills on regaining office early 1886. However, the Irish Home Rule Bill was deeply divisive, even though it was apparently designed to settle all outstanding matters once and for all. It did lead to the resignation from the Cabinet of the Radical, Joseph Chamberlain who cited the blow to 'the security of the Empire' as his primary reason. From Punch, or the London Charivari, April 24, 1885

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