A Punch cartoon of 1857 shows a Governor General as a looming father figure, his hand over the head of a sepoy holding a bloodstained sword and dagger. What was its title?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → The Clemency of Canning
Option (1) Miss Wheeler Defending Herself — Incorrect. This picture shows Miss Wheeler at Kanpur defending herself against rebel sepoys. It praises British courage and has no Governor General in it.
Option (2) In Memoriam — Incorrect. This painting by Joseph Noel Paton shows English women and children waiting in fear. It has no Governor General in it.
Option (3) The Clemency of Canning — Correct. The cartoon is <strong>The Clemency of Canning</strong>. It mocked Canning for his plea for <strong>mercy</strong> towards sepoys at a time when the clamour was for vengeance.
Option (4) Relief of Lucknow — Incorrect. This painting by Thomas Jones Barker celebrates the British heroes who rescued the besieged at Lucknow. It glorifies British victory.
NCERT (2026-27): “5.5 No time for clemency “In one of the cartoons published in the pages of Punch, a British journal of comic satire, Canning is shown as a looming father figure, with his protective hand over the head of a sepoy who still holds an unsheathed sword in one hand and a dagger in the other, both dripping with blood (Fig.10.17) – an imagery that recurs in a number of British pictures of the time.” “Fig. 10.17 “The Clemency of Canning”, Punch, 24 October 1857” |