Unhappy Ghosts Crossing the Styx: In Base-relief

Art Historical Context

This lithograph, created the Irish-born political caricaturist John Doyle (known by his initials “H.B.”) and published by Thomas Mc on December 11, 1834, offers a witty commentary on a turbulent moment in politics. The image portrays prominent Whig statesmen Viscount Melbourne, Lord Brougham, Viscount Palmer, and others—as forlorn ghosts being ferried across the River Styx. By casting these recently displaced ministers as shades in the classical underworld, Doyle captures the dramatic fall of Melbourne’s short-lived government after King William IV dismissed it in November of that year. Rendered in the distinctive flat, sculptural style of a “base-relief,” the print demonstrates the expressive potential of lithography, a medium then at the height of its popularity for timely satire. The sheet’s modest size made it easy to display in shop windows or pass among viewers, allowing a broad audience to enjoy the pointed humor. Today the work stands as a vivid snapshot of early nineteenth-century parliamentary drama and the lively tradition of visual political commentary that flourished in Georgian and Victorian London.