"The Political Chameleon," Punch, or The London Charivari, vol. 22, June 5, 1852: 235

 

               Notes on the Text

If you look closely you will see two terms on the Political Chameleon's back: Protection and Free Trade.

It is broken up this way: PRO/FREE/TEC/TRA/TI/D/ON/E.

If you combine every other section it spells PROTECTION and FREE TRADE, which were two economic agendas in 1850's England.

PROTECTION(ISM): "the theory, practice, or system of fostering or developing domestic industries by protecting them from foreign competition through duties or quotas imposed on importations."

FREE TRADE: "trade between countries, free from governmental restrictions or duties."

                Commentary on the Text

 

The man on the right and the man on the left are obviously perplexed by this chameleon who seems to support two completely opposite economic ideals. The man in the middle of it all seems to understand the creature.

The chameleon is possibly Sir Robert Peel, conservative Prime Minister of England from 1834-35 and 1841-46. During the campaign for the repeal of the Corn Laws, Peel repeatedly changed sides between the conservative parties desire to retain the Corn Laws and the Anti-Corn-Law League's stance against them.

Although the Corn Laws were repealed by Peel, it occurred in 1846. This drawing was in Punch in 1852. The issue was obviously still fodder for strong debate. Many of the farmers in England were quite pleased with the situation uner the Corn Laws, aka Protectionism, because it frove the price of their products, namely corn, up. This was an unfortunate situation for the working and middle classes. Many working class workers were laid off because there was less money for people to buy the products they made. This was because most people could hardly afford food.

The economic policy of Protectionism allowed England to effectively blockade other countries food sources from coming in by raising tariffs. Free Trade is the policy where, as it states, trade is free. It is free in two senses: there are no tariffs (or at least very few) and it runs freely between countries.

The image of the king leering in the background signifies the upper classes relative immunity to the effect of a Protectionist policy. It also represents the ever-present monarchy hanging over the proceedings of Parliament. The two confused-looking men on either side of the chameleon represent the farmers (left) and the middle class (right). The man in the middle is the mediator, or upper class citizen. The upper class citizen is presenting the confusing image of the Prime Minister/chameleon to each party. The chameleon represents some of the reform laws that helped to abolish the Corn Laws. Those bills were often confused and contradictory.

The rising middle class was struck a blow in the middle of the nineteenth century. The Corn Laws inhibited any growth by driving the food prices up. The landed aristocracy was also not interested in changing any laws because they were benefiting most from the conflict. The farmers often farmed the aristocracies land, which made the aristocracy money. The often confusing and contradictory bills gave the impression that things were happening and a reform process was occurring, when, in fact, no reform was being performed, Parliament was running in circles.

For a time Peel was the friend of farmers and the upper class, alike, because he did not try to force a decision. But later in his career as Prime Minister he reformed the laws that led to a system of relative Free Trade, for a time. Peel quickly quit government work for fear that he would be voted out.

This drawing sums up the entire Corn Law dispute, as well as the dispute between the classes.

Kelli Massa, April 3, 2008

            When I first looked at this drawing I kept trying to sound out what is written on the chameleon’s back but could not make sense of it.  After reading Kevin’s commentary on the political cartoon, I understand the meaning on the chameleon’s back much better! 

            The fact that the artist put the two economic agendas “protection” and “free trade” on the back of a chameleon is great.  Chameleon’s are known for changing colors in order to camouflage themselves in new surroundings and be safe from predators.  The chameleon being representative of the Prime Minister adds another layer to this comparison.  The artist is saying that the Prime Minister is the ultimate chameleon because he is constantly camouflaging himself is remain safe in multiple situations.  (Not unlike many politicians today.)  Mixing up the two main agendas on his back, the chameleon is able to confuse those around him about what he is actually trying to do; confusing most of the citizens is just what the chameleon/Prime Minister wants.  Those who support the Prime minister stand behind him and seem to be satisfied that he has confused everyone else around him.  The chameleon has been successful in changing his appearance, his agendas, so that no one can recognize his true intent.  Even without looking into the particular laws and issues of the time, this cartoon seems timeless with politicians. 

                Works Cited

 

"Protectionism." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 05 Mar. 2008. <Dictionary.com  

    http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/protectionism>.

"Free trade." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 05 Mar. 2008. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/free

    trade>.

Bloy, Marjie. The Campaign for the Repeal of the Corn Laws. 1997. 2 Mar. 2008 <http://www.victorianweb.org/history/cornlaws2.html>

Bloy, Marjie. The Corn Laws. 2002. 2 Mar. 2008 <http://www.victorianweb.org/history/cornlaws1.html>

Bloy, Marjie. Sir Robert Peel (1788-1850). 2002. 2 Mar. 2008 <http://www.victorianweb.org/history/pms/peel/peel10.html>

Please be sure to cite reference works, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, scholarly articles, other 19th century sources, and other websites that you used in preparing this page.  In particular, it is extremely important to use quotation marks when copying material directly from another source, to provide a parenthetical citation to the source and relevant page number, and to include that source here.  If you do not know how/when to decide what to cite or how to format citations in MLA Style, please consult your instructor. [Please retain these directions.]

                For Additional Reading

Free Trade. 5 Mar. 2008. 3 Mar. 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_trade>

This is the Wikipedia site that explains a history of the Free Trade economic policy.

 

Protectionism. 5 Mar. 2008. 3 Mar. 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protectionism>

This is the Wikipedia site that explains a history of the Protectionism economic policy.

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Kevin Korpal	Eastern Michigan University	LITR 420

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