The substance or the shadow?
Subject(s): Bones, Bulldog, Free trade--Protection, Great Britain, John Bull (Symbolic character), Reflections, Rivers
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John Bull crouches as a bulldog labeled “England” on a narrow bridge spanning a river. He has a large bone labeled “Free Trade” in his mouth and is looking over the side. In his reflection in the water, the bone is labeled “Protection.”
Comments and Context
Cartoonist Pughe, in this cover cartoon, encapsulates the issues surrounding the Free Trade debate in Great Britain. The country was considering a radical adjustment to its policy of international trade, the resolution of which would have great consequences for the United States and the rest of the world. As far as spheres of influence and commerce, “the sun never set” on the Empire when trade was concerned.
For most of a century, Britain operated, successfully, on a mercantile system of Free Trade. It could, because of its enormous capacities, its military dominance, and the fact that it established the British mercantile system in advance of putative rivals.
When the United States became, rather quickly, the world’s leading manufacturer and exporter after the Spanish-American War; and when Germany similarly asserted a healthy manufacturing and agricultural position — and a formidable merchant navy as well — some British politicians, led by Joseph Chamberlain, proposed that the United Kingdom abandon Free Trade and adopt a series of protective tariffs.
Chamberlain’s proposals were presented as modern and liberal, but in reality Protectionism at that point in world trade was designed to protect British prerogatives. He was always concerning himself with surprising turns — evolving from the Radical Liberal Party to the Union flag (after first opposing Home Rule in Ireland) and finally the Conservatives. He was a staunch imperialist; and was the father of the future prime minister Neville Chamberlain who flew to Berchtesgaden and believed he achieved “peace in our time” with “Herr Hitler.”
Collection
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs
Creation Date
1903-11-04
Creator(s)
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909
Period
U.S. President – 1st Term (September 1901-February 1905)
Repository
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Page Count
1
Record Type
Image
Resource Type
Rights
These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.
Citation
Cite this Record
Chicago:
The substance or the shadow?. [November 4, 1903]. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs.
https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277632. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909. The substance or the shadow?. [4 Nov. 1903]. Image.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277632.
APA:
Pughe, J. S. (John S.), 1870-1909., [1903, November 4]. The substance or the shadow?.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/digital-library/o277632.
Cite this Collection
Chicago:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
MLA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. February 26, 2026. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
APA:
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University. Retrieved from https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/collection/library-of-congress-prints-and-photographs.
