In which journal was the 1857 cartoon "The Clemency of Canning" published?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Punch
Option (1) Illustrated London News — Incorrect. The Illustrated London News printed the picture of the execution of mutinous sepoys in Peshawar. This cartoon on Canning came from Punch.
Option (2) Punch — Correct. <strong>Punch</strong> was a <strong>British journal of comic satire</strong>. It carried the cartoon that mocked Canning's call for mercy to the sepoys.
Option (3) Delhi Urdu Akhbar — Incorrect. The Delhi Urdu Akhbar was an Urdu newspaper of Delhi. The cartoon came from a British journal that made fun of Canning.
Option (4) Both Punch and Illustrated London News — Incorrect. Punch alone carried this cartoon; the Illustrated London News is known here for the Peshawar execution scene.
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” |