Oldal 408 [408]
OCR
The Image of the Jewish Street Seller in Nineteenth Century London The picture held by the Archive of the Jewish Museum London (catalog number C 1997.I, p. 356) shows a number of people getting off boats in London harbor. A female figure, Britannia, holding a copy of the Aliens Act stops an orthodox Jewish family. The caption states: "Britannia: I can no longer offer shelter to fugitives. England is not a free country," In March 1906, another cartoon representing a similar approach was published as the cover of a special supplement to the Sphere magazine. The full-page illustration takes part in the discussion of the Aliens Act and offers a response to the view that unregulated immigration represented a danger. The picture (catalog number: 1385.1) entitled “Our Alien Immigrants. How the New Alien Act Operates” (ill. 180)°' shows people waiting outside the immigrations courtroom, along the banks of the Thames, which is visible through the open door. There are two men and two women accompanied by five children, all of them looking poor, helpless, and harmless. In fact, the youngest immigrants are what the cartoon is about. The Aliens Act was supposed to stop the immigration of people who would most likely reinforce the poorest class of the society, but it also affected the children of the immigrants—the most helpless and vulnerable people, who, if given the chance, could become valuable members of the society. People opposing the new regulation often pointed out that England should not introduce laws detrimental to people whose lives were in danger. Shortly after the introduction of the Aliens Act it became clear that it was not used just to keep criminals out but to discourage immigrants in general. The data presented by the Jewish Museum London proves that many people were refused entry into the British Isles, but if they had appealed they might have been granted entry (in the first month after the introduction of the law, 202 aliens were refused entry, 199 appealed and only 89 of those were refused permission again). Conclusions ‘The cartoons representing Jews in nineteenth-century Britain were based on simple stereotypes that were created or adopted by the society after the readmission of the Jews. The stereotypes varied depending on the time they gained broad acceptance, the viewers they were intended for, the people they depicted, and even the approach toward the minority they presented (which changed over time). Most of the caricatures devoted to everyday life expressed a belief that Jews were poor, uneducated, hardly able to communicate, and taking advantage of every opportunity to make a profit or gain privilege. They rarely harkened back to early Jewish history and rarely represented the members of the minority as “the chosen people.” Unlike the written sources, the cartoons never represented them as hard working and 31 hetp://www.jewishmuseum.org.uk/search-our-collections-new?adlibid=18590&offset=0 (accessed 04.07.2012). 92 hetp://www.jewishmuseum.org.uk/search-our-collections-new?adlibid-18590&offset-0 (accessed 04.07.2012). 405
