Bidspirit auction | Tom Merry

Tom Merry - 'India Suitable for a Russian Emperor'. A 19th Century Hand-colored Cartoon taking Pun at British Prime Minister Gladstone’s Liberal Policy towards Russia India Suitable for a Russian Emperor by Tom Merry Signed in English bottom left, An auction at which British dominions are sold, according to proposed Liberal reforms; India being sold at auction to a Russian man. Colour lithograph by Tom Merry, 31 October 1891. The auctioneer is Gladstone, and his clerk sitting below him is Sir William Harcourt. Men representing Gibraltar, Canada and Egypt wait to be sold. The bidders include a Frenchman (?) on the left, an American on the right, and the Russian buyer of India in the middle, One print in a series on the proposed Newcastle Programme, a ”radical programme” put forward by the National Liberal Federation in Great Britain, led by Joseph Chamberlain, involving Home Rule for Ireland, reform of the House of Lords, and other measures. The series envisages disastrous results in the event of the programme being implemented. Printed and published by the Publishing Company, Limited, October 31st, 1891. Framed Image Size: 32.5 x 50.7 cm (12.7 x 19.9 inches) Frame Size: 37.1 x 54.9 cm (14.6 x 21.6 inches) Excellent Condition Provenance: Keywords: India, Indian colonial, Early Print