1863

Beware! Punch, Volume 44, May 2, 1863, p. 181

Brother Jonathan makes another appearance as a bratty little boy [cf. January 18, 1862; October 3, 1863], who here uses a stick to tease an enormous, long-suffering lion through the bars of its cage. Along with his loose-fitting star-spangled shirt and striped pantaloons and stockings, Jonathan sports a ridiculously small military kepi. Standing inside the protective railing, a top-hatted Mr. Punch appears in the role of a zookeeper warning the heedless youngster to cease his risky behavior.

The collar of Mr. Punch's coat bears the initials "ZSL," which stand for the Zoological Society of London. In 1828, the Society had arranged to lease from the Crown, at nominal rent, a parcel of land at Regent's Park for the purpose of establishing a private collection of wild animals for scientific study by its members. It was only years later, in 1847, that these "Zoological Gardens" were opened to the general public. Within a short time, the Gardens became a popular destination for family outings, known simply as "the Zoo." The name quickly became generic as other cities established their own zoological gardens.

As the cartoon suggests, keepers often had to intervene to protect their charges from teasing (or feeding) by ignorant visitors. Although kings and noblemen had for centuries maintained private collections of exotic animals, the London Zoological Gardens were among the first opened to members of the general public. Many visitors did not understand how to behave towards wild creatures, and thought of animals merely as sources of entertainment. Often their only previous experiences with large predators had been at circuses and traveling menageries. These featured performances by "lion-tamers" such as Isaac Van Amburgh, who costumed himself as a Roman gladiator, and openly used cruel treatment to force his animals to submit to his will. Van Amburgh even claimed moral justification for this practice by referring to the text in Genesis which stated that man was supposed to enjoy "dominion over the beasts."

In April of 1863, the United States government increased diplomatic pressure on Britain to halt the construction of Confederate warships in English shipyards. Congress also threatened to pass a bill authorizing Northern privateers to capture ships attempting to run the Union naval blockade of Southern ports. Since many of the blockade runners were English ships, sailing from Bermuda and the Bahamas, such a move would potentially have compromised Britain's cherished "freedom of the seas." Perhaps Tenniel saw such threats as being irresponsibly reckless -- like the actions of a foolish child, provoking the mighty lion.

Isaac van Amburgh and His Animals, engraving after Landseer.	Isaac Van Amburgh, performance poster.