1-150-247 - The Cartoon Collector/Heritage-Images

'Blondin Outdone', 1859. Palmerston, dressed in contemporary circus costume, wheeling a nervous looking Lord John Russell across a tightrope with Niagara Falls in the background. The waters depict India, China, Italy, America and Reform, all of which were knotty problems facing the Government. In contrast to Russell, who is clinging on for dear life, Palmerston displays nothing but a calm confidence in the task. On 17th August 1859, the French acrobat, Blondin, walked on a tightrope over the Niagara Falls. He performed a number of feats, including carrying a man over on his shoulders. From Punch, or the London Charivari, October 8, 1859.