Title

'Our (Very) Friendly Societies!', 1886. Artist: Joseph Swain

Caption

'Our (Very) Friendly Societies!', 1886. The representative of Britain's honest and sober working-class is diligently posting his small savings into the door of the Cormorant Friendly Society. On the other side of the door can be seen the 'cormorants', the directors of the society who are eating hugely, drinking deeply and enjoying the best cigars. This cartoon accompanies a poem of the same name which accuses such societies of keeping poor accounts, charging much, working little, and living on the proceeds of the thrift of the working classes. The percentage of profits made by societies sometimes were as high as fifty per cent. From Punch, or the London Charivari, March 20, 1886.

Date

1886

Credit line

Photo12/Heritage Images/The Cartoon Collector

Reference

HRM19A90_282

Model release

No

License type

Rights managed

Available size

53,9Mb (3,1Mb) / 16,4in x 12,8in / 4911 x 3837 (300dpi)

Keywords

food drink people male man men banking drinking finance guy eating smoking century cigar cigars corruption concept director B&W honesty fat cat cartoon MONOCHROME metaphor depositing Working Class 19th century black & white black and white B W working-class nineteenth century Heritage Image Partnership friendly society social class caricature satire engraving Joseph Swain John Tenniel;Tenniel John;Sir John Tenniel Swain Joseph engraving caricature satire