Spotprent met Russell, Inglis en Bentinck Possibly 1847

This lithograph was made in England by John Doyle, likely sometime in the 1830s or 40s. It depicts three men riding in a horse-drawn carriage. It’s titled “A New Way to Drive Over an Old Road; How Not, Always, Get Out of Order.” The men in the carriage are Lord John Russell, Henry Inglis, and Lord George Bentinck, all members of parliament. The image uses the visual code of caricature to poke fun at these figures. The metaphor of a carriage being driven in a new way over an old road likely refers to political reforms. Doyle’s work appeared during a time of great social change in England, with the rise of industrialization and the expansion of the British Empire. Political cartoons like this one offer insight into British social life during this transformative period. To understand more, historians consult parliamentary records and newspapers to understand the political context. We can then see how Doyle’s work contributed to public discourse and shaped popular opinion.