British Benevolence- Puck Magazine

This brilliant chromolithograph by Joseph Keppler captures one of the sharpest critiques of British imperialism from the golden age of American political satire. The cover of Puck from the summer of 1882 depicts the British Lion as a hulking brute in cricket whites, wearing boxing gloves labeled 'ARMY' and 'NAVY,' methodically pummeling smaller figures representing Britain's colonial subjects: Afghans, Ashanti, Egyptians, and Irish Fenians. The sardonic title 'British Benevolence' gains its sting from the quoted words of Earl Granville, then Foreign Secretary: 'It is painful to be obliged to use force against the weak.' Keppler's genius lay in transforming diplomatic platitudes into visual indictments. As founder and chief artist of Puck, he pioneered a distinctly American voice in political illustration, bringing Viennese chromolithographic techniques to bear on the hypocrisies of the age. A remarkable document of Gilded Age perspective on European imperialism, this cover appeared just as British forces bombarded Alexandria. For collectors of Victorian political art or students of colonial history, it offers both artistic merit and historical significance. Size: 13.0" x 9.75" Artist: Joseph Keppler Condition: Very Good