Representations of the revolt
Paintings, cartoons and how the revolt was remembered.
The essentials
The revolt was represented in many ways: official accounts, letters and diaries of British officials, newspapers, paintings, cartoons, pencil drawings and later nationalist writings. Each representation shaped how the revolt was remembered.
British pictures often celebrated British heroes who saved the English and repressed the rebels. Thomas Jones Barker's painting "Relief of Lucknow" (1859) shows the moment when British commanders Campbell, Outram and Havelock meet after relieving the besieged British garrison at Lucknow, presenting it as a moment of hope and triumph. Other paintings showed English women and children in distress; Joseph Noel Paton's "In Memoriam" shows women and children huddled together, awaiting their fate, which produced feelings of anger in Britain.
Key points
- Some British images showed women defending themselves heroically, for example Miss Wheeler defending herself against rebels at Kanpur.
- Pictures demanding vengeance became common: Britain called for punishment and retribution. Images showed rebels being blown from guns and executed in public.
- A cartoon in the British magazine Punch mocked Governor-General Canning for his supposed leniency, calling him "Clemency" Canning.
- Nationalist representations: in the twentieth century the revolt was celebrated as the "First War of Independence". Rani Lakshmibai was portrayed as a heroic figure, sword in hand, on horseback, symbolising resistance. Poems were written about her bravery, such as the Hindi poem by Subhadra Kumari Chauhan.
- Representations tell us about the feelings and politics of those who made them, not only about the events.
Exam tips
When given a picture, identify who made it, for whom, and what emotion it was meant to create (sympathy, triumph, revenge or pride).