The Election at Eatanswill
Phiz (Hablot K. Browne)
August 1836
Steel Engraving
Dickens's Pickwick Papers
[Click on image to enlarge it.]
Details
Scanned image and text by Philip V. Allingham.
The second illustration for August 1836 involves a byelection somewhere in Essex — Bury St. Edmunds (near Norwich, mentioned at the opening of the chapter) has been nominated as the original of "Eatanswill," although as a young short-hand reporter Dickens had covered just such an election in 1834 at Sudbury (Collins and Guiliano 123). The patriotic Pickwick takes the side of Mr. Pott, editor of The Gazette and the Blues (Tories), whose candidate is the Honourable Samuel Slumkey — of whom Pickwick had not even heard until arriving that morning by coach. He takes as his governing principle in such matters "It's always best on these occasions to do what the mob do"; certainly, such a principle is the most expedient. Ironically, Dickens himself was a "Buff," that is, a Liberal adherent, and so he frames his protagonist as a supporter of the status quo and the opponent of social and electoral change, the issue in the great election of 1832 being extension of the franchise. Expediency, in terms of acquiring rooms for the night, prompts Pickwick to announce himself as an adherent of Slumkey, whose agent is none other than the lawyer Perker whom he had met at the White Hart.
The author establishes (by summarising Pickwick's notes on the subject) the physical setting — the hustings — earlier in the chapter, just after the Pickwickians arrive in Eatanswil as sociological observers of the electoral contest:
How or by what means it became mixed up with the other procession, and how it was ever extricated from the confusion consequent thereupon, is more than we can undertake to describe, inasmuch as Mr. Pickwick’s hat was knocked over his eyes, nose, and mouth, by one poke of a Buff flag-staff, very early in the proceedings. He describes himself as being surrounded on every side, when he could catch a glimpse of the scene, by angry and ferocious countenances, by a vast cloud of dust, and by a dense crowd of combatants. He represents himself as being forced from the carriage by some unseen power, and being personally engaged in a pugilistic encounter; but with whom, or how, or why, he is wholly unable to state. He then felt himself forced up some wooden steps by the persons from behind; and on removing his hat, found himself surrounded by his friends, in the very front of the left hand side of the hustings. The right was reserved for the Buff party, and the centre for the mayor and his officers; one of whom — the fat crier of Eatanswill — was ringing an enormous bell, by way of commanding silence, while Mr. Horatio Fizkin, and the Honourable Samuel Slumkey, with their hands upon their hearts, were bowing with the utmost affability to the troubled sea of heads that inundated the open space in front; and from whence arose a storm of groans, and shouts, and yells, and hootings, that would have done honour to an earthquake.
However, the moment realised involves one of the candidatess' bands as the principals are about to square off against each other rhetorically:
Passage illustrated:
Then Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, of Fizkin Lodge, near Eatanswill, presented himself for the purpose of addressing the electors; which he no sooner did, than the band employed by the Honourable Samuel Slumkey, commenced performing with a power to which their strength in the morning was a trifle; in return for which, the Buff crowd belaboured the heads and shoulders of the Blue crowd; on which the Blue crowd endeavoured to dispossess themselves of their very unpleasant neighbours the Buff crowd; and a scene of struggling, and pushing, and fighting, succeeded, to which we can no more do justice than the mayor could, although he issued imperative orders to twelve constables to seize the ringleaders, who might amount in number to two hundred and fifty, or thereabouts. At all these encounters, Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, of Fizkin Lodge, and his friends, waxed fierce and furious; until at last Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, of Fizkin Lodge, begged to ask his opponent, the Honourable Samuel Slumkey, of Slumkey Hall, whether that band played by his consent; which question the Honourable Samuel Slumkey declining to answer, Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, of Fizkin Lodge, shook his fist in the countenance of the Honourable Samuel Slumkey, of Slumkey Hall; upon which the Honourable Samuel Slumkey, his blood being up, defied Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, to mortal combat. At this violation of all known rules and precedents of order, the mayor commanded another fantasia on the bell, and declared that he would bring before himself, both Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, of Fizkin Lodge, and the Honourable Samuel Slumkey, of Slumkey Hall, and bind them over to keep the peace. Upon this terrific denunciation, the supporters of the two candidates interfered, and after the friends of each party had quarrelled in pairs, for three–quarters of an hour, Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, touched his hat to the Honourable Samuel Slumkey; the Honourable Samuel Slumkey touched his to Horatio Fizkin, Esquire; the band was stopped; the crowd were partially quieted; and Horatio Fizkin, Esquire, was permitted to proceed. [chapter 13]
In the illustration, we find Mr. Pickwick easily (flanked by Winkle and Snodgrass, right), but struggle to identify Mr. Pott ("a tall, thin man, with a sandy-coloured head inclined to baldness . . . dressed in a long brown surtout, with a black cloth waistcoat, and drab trousers"), a distinguished member of the fourth estate carrying a double eye-glass. The only logical figure is the balding man in the lighter coat to the left of Pickwick.
The third and fourth parts of Hogarth's The Election. Click on images to enlarge them and obtain more information.
The whole scene is reminiscent of The Election (Part 3. "The Polling," and Part 4. "Chairing the Member") by William Hogarth, from whom Phiz often drew inspiration. In a hundred years, British parliamentary democracy has only inched forward, so that, according to Dickens and Phiz, an election is still characterised by empty rhetoric and conflicting mobs supporting the Buffs (Whigs) and Blues (Tories); however, the absolute veniality and violence that one sees in Hogarth's series is absent in Phiz's "Election at Eatanswill." The scene in each, however, is equally chaotic. A typical Phizzian touch is the presence of conflicting placards that proclaim, on the one hand, "Slumkey and Principle!" but on the other announce "For Slumkey read Donkey." One ruffian brandishes his placard (bearing the notation "Down with Slumkey") as a weapon, poking one of Slumkey's supporters in the stomach (left), and three other Slumkey supporters lie on the ground, the one in the centre attempting to recover his tankard. Thus, while a certain measure of discipline exists above, on the hustings, the scene below is a melee of conflicting signs, cacophonous discord (note the trombone-player and drummer as representatives of Slumkey's band), and mayhem. Phiz's illustration thus captures the essence of Dickens's parallel present participles, ""struggling, and pushing, and fighting" among a crowd difficult to calculate in number (Dickens gives the figure 250, but clearly there are not that many conflicting adherents in the plate). Above, the mayor (extreme left) gives commands and the rotund town crier rings his bell, but significantly Phiz depicts not one of the twelve constables whom the mayor has ordered to seize the ringleaders. The candidates themselves, Slumkey and Fizkin, must be two of the three figures between Pickwick (right) and the crier (centre). The exercise of the democratic franchise seems in Phiz's illustration to be a mere pretence for an outburst of mindless mob violence.
Left: Phiz's 1873 plate: He has come put . . . . Right: Thomas Nast's He's kissing 'em all!. Click on images to enlarge them.
While Phiz must have been tempted merely to reprise the 1836 for his 1873 woodcut for the British Household Edition, he like his American counterpart, Thomas Nast, focussed on the candidates' kissing babies to win their mothers' goodwill and their fathers' votes in "He has come out," said little Mr. Perker, greatly excited; the more so as to their position did not enable them to see what was going forward. [Page 81] and "He's kissing 'em all!" {Page 81] respectively. While Phiz's Slumkey seems to have some tender regard for the infant he is about to kiss (centre), Nast's great-coated politician holds aloft a frightened toddler. The comparable juxtaposition of the candidates, the crowd as backdrop, and in particular an almost identi8cal positioning of the sign "Slumkey for ever" (left rear) suggests that one artist was copying the other's work. The instigator of this electoral strategy for Samuel Slumkey is none other than than attorney Perker:
‘Nothing has been left undone, my dear sir — nothing whatever. There are twenty washed men at the street door for you to shake hands with; and six children in arms that you’re to pat on the head, and inquire the age of; be particular about the children, my dear sir — it has always a great effect, that sort of thing."
"I’ll take care," said the Honourable Samuel Slumkey.
"And, perhaps, my dear Sir," said the cautious little man, ‘perhaps if you could — I don’t mean to say it’s indispensable — but if you could manage to kiss one of 'em, it would produce a very great impression on the crowd."
"Wouldn't it have as good an effect if the proposer or seconder did that?" said the Honourable Samuel Slumkey.
"Why, I am afraid it wouldn't," replied the agent; "if it were done by yourself, my dear Sir, I think it would make you very popular."
"Very well," said the Honourable Samuel Slumkey, with a resigned air, "then it must be done. That's all."
"Arrange the procession," cried the twenty committee-men.
Amidst the cheers of the assembled throng, the band, and the constables, and the committee-men, and the voters, and the horsemen, and the carriages, took their places — each of the two-horse vehicles being closely packed with as many gentlemen as could manage to stand upright in it; and that assigned to Mr. Perker, containing Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Tupman, Mr. Snodgrass, and about half a dozen of the committee besides.
There was a moment of awful suspense as the procession waited for the Honourable Samuel Slumkey to step into his carriage. Suddenly the crowd set up a great cheering.
"He has come out," said little Mr. Perker, greatly excited; the more so as their position did not enable them to see what was going forward.
Another cheer, much louder.
"He has shaken hands with the men," cried the little agent.
Another cheer, far more vehement.
"He has patted the babies on the head," said Mr. Perker, trembling with anxiety.
A roar of applause that rent the air.
"He has kissed one of 'em!" exclaimed the delighted little man.
A second roar.
"He has kissed another," gasped the excited manager.
A third roar.
"He's kissing 'em all!’" screamed the enthusiastic little gentleman, and hailed by the deafening shouts of the multitude, the procession moved on. [chapter 13]
Apparently a politician's kissing babies was then not quite so great a cliche.
References
Davis, Paul. Charles Dickens A to Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Facts On File and Checkmark Books, 1998.
Dickens, Charles. "Pickwick Papers (1836-37). Il. Hablot Knight Browne. The Charles Dickens Edition. Boston: Ticknor & Fields, 1867.
Dickens, Charles. "Pickwick Papers (1836-37). Il. Hablot Knight Browne. The Household Edition. London: Chapman and Hall, 1873.
Dickens, Charles. "Pickwick Papers (1836-37). Il. Thomas Nast. The Household Edition. New York: Harper and Bros., 1873.
Guiliano, Edward, and Philip Collins, eds. The Annotated Dickens. Vol. 1. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1986.
Hammerton, J. A. The Dickens Picture-Book. London: Educational Book Co., 1910.
Kitton, Frederic G. Dickens and His Illustrators. 1899. Rpt. Honolulu: U. Press of the Pacific, 2004.
Steig, Michael. Dickens and Phiz. Bloomington & London: Indiana U.P., 1978.
Last modified 23 January 2012