In the cartoon "Justice" that appeared in Punch in September 1857, what is the allegorical female figure shown doing?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Trampling sepoys under her feet as Indian women and children cower
Option (1) Leading the British rescue forces into the Lucknow Residency — Incorrect. British forces entering the Lucknow Residency are the subject of Barker's "Relief of Lucknow" (1859).
Option (2) Trampling sepoys under her feet as Indian women and children cower — Correct. The figure of justice holds a sword and a shield, with an aggressive posture and a face full of rage. She is trampling sepoys under her feet while Indian women and children cower with fear.
Option (3) Shielding English women and children huddled together in a circle — Incorrect. English women and children huddled in a circle appear in Paton's "In Memoriam".
Option (4) Holding up the Bible over the bodies of the fallen rebels — Incorrect. The Bible lies on the floor in the British image of Miss Wheeler at Kanpur.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.3 Vengeance and retribution … “Fig. 10.13 Justice, Punch, 12 September 1857” |