Catalogue Number
NMLH.1993.372.43
Object Name
Print
Title
'John Bull Or An Englishman's Fireside! The Political Drama No. 8: Here's A Pretty Pass Things Have Come To ...'
Place
England
People
John Bull
Events
1832 Reform Act
Date
1833
Creator(s)
Grant, C.J.Tregear, G.S.
Description
A disconsolate John Bull sits on his chair, a broken plate and knife and fork are on the table, his fire out and his window is broken. A police officer with a sabre is outside the window. John Bull laments the strict Observance of the Sabbath.
The text reads 'Here's a pretty pass things are come to! This is Observing the Sabbath with a vengeance. Didn't get my week's wages last night 'till all the shops were shut up. Mus'n't go out except to Chappel. Not a crust in the house. Not even a drop o' tea in the pot. No 'bacca [tobacco], no fire, no soap to shave myself with & no nothing an Arm'd Blue Devil parading about the street. So here I must sit a free born Briton & listen to the chappel bell over the way. Praying next door & psalm singing in the cellar.'
'John Bull or An Englishman's Fireside!' by CJ Grant was painted in 1833 and illustrates the dire conditions of the poor after the 1832 Reform Act, which led to discontent and the growth of Chartism. John Bull (a fictional character portraying the average Englishman) explains that the strict rules governing what can be done on a Sunday are causing him to suffer. At the time the typical working week was 6 days, with only Sundays off, and no shops or pubs were permitted to open on Sundays. This meant working people had limited opportunities to access both practical household chores like shopping, or leisure activities like socialising in pubs. Sunday trading rules were enforced by police.
Following the 1832 Reform Act, working people (as depicted here) found that their wretched living and working conditions had not improved. Voteless, their anger led to the growth of the Chartist movement.
