Cartoons for the cause Pl.13 1896

This is Walter Crane’s ‘Cartoons for the Cause Pl.13’, an ink drawing likely produced near the turn of the century. Immediately, the ass dominates our focus; this beast of burden, emblazoned with ‘Labour’, bears a man in a ‘Captain’s’ hat, who wields an umbrella like a circus performer. These symbols harken back to ancient fables, where animals embodied human traits, a tradition found from Aesop to La Fontaine. Consider the figure of the ass, traditionally a symbol of stupidity or stubbornness, transformed here into a vehicle for labour. The figure of ‘Captain’, holding an umbrella and wearing a checkered suit, is reminiscent of the ‘everyman’ figure found across popular culture. The fallen figure evokes Icarus, who fell to earth when he flew too close to the sun, and hints at the precarious balance between ambition and downfall. These symbols speak to deep-seated anxieties about class, power, and the unpredictable nature of political change, reflecting both the aspirations and fears of the society from which they emerged.