1-150-217 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

'A Very Greasy Pole', 1859. John Bright climbs the greasy pole of the Reform Bill, topped by the ham of popularity. Bright was an outspoken advocate reform and peppered his numerous speeches with attacks on British aristocracy and the need for parliamentary reform. Initially popular, he became so impassioned that many of those leaning towards reform became alarmed and tried to distance themselves from Bright's radical views. From Punch, or the London Charivari, January 29, 1859.