Historical Object
Manchester Massacre Handkerchief
| A commemorative handkerchief created by a wood engraving on white cotton fabric. The scene is the Manchester Reform Meeting, in England. A crowd of demonstrators, men, women and children, are trying to escape mounted Yeomanry (composed mainly of middle class volunteers who opposed extending suffrage to industrial towns and cities) and the 15th Regiment of Hussars. Many demonstrators are shown being mown down. 18 people were killed and over 400 were injured. The event was organized by the Manchester Patriotic Union to demonstrate for parliamentary reform, universal suffrage and election by ballot. The well known radical orator Henry Hunt was to speak. Some of the surrounding buildings are identified by numbers in a key in the banner at the top. The Manchester Massacre is also known as the Peterloo Massacre. This text appears at the top, "A Representation of the Manchester Reform Meeting Dispersed by the Civil and Military Power. Aug. 16, 1819." |
| Image ID: | 85166 |
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| Creation Date: | date unknown 1819 |
| Creator Name: | Slack, John |
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| Collection Name: | History of socialism visual materials, ca. 1819-ca. 1930 |
| Genre: | Historical Object |
| Original Format Type: | prints, fine-art |
| Original Format Number: | 5-1363 |
| Original Dimensions: | 24 x 20.75 inches |
| The handkerchief may have been based on a print named "A view of St. Peter's Place, and Manner in which the Manchester Reform Meeting was dispersed by Civil and Military Power" which was based on a cabinet picture by John Slack. Hundreds would have been produced and carried by radical supporters to remember the event and spread the reform message. |
| This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Use of the image requires written permission from the staff of the Collections Division. It may not be sold or redistributed, copied or distributed as a photograph, electronic file, or any other media. The image should not be significantly altered through conventional or electronic means. Images altered beyond standard cropping and resizing require further negotiation with a staff member. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Please Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society. |
| Location: | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives, 4th Floor, Madison, Wisconsin |
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