The Proclamation Regarding Weights and Measures, 1556, illustration from 'Hutchinson's Story of the British Nation'

Ford Madox Brown made this illustration for ‘Hutchinson’s Story of the British Nation,’ a publication that aimed to popularize British history. Painted in the late nineteenth century, the image represents a town crier in 1556 announcing new regulations. But it’s not just a straightforward historical record. Madox Brown infuses the scene with his own social commentary. He contrasts the well-fed merchants in the background with the impoverished family on the left. Notice the boy aiming an arrow at their food. The dog on the right is a purebred bull terrier, which was, at the time, seen as a status symbol for affluent young men. The bull terrier suggests the crier may well be proclaiming for the benefit of the upper classes. To understand this image fully, we need to consult historical sources on Victorian social structures, class divisions, and even dog breeding. The image reminds us that history is always told from a particular viewpoint.