Cartoon drawing in pen and ink by F Carruthers Gould depicting a monster with a gasometer for a body and a gas meter for a head. The monster strides over heaps of coal holding in his left hand a rag saying ‘Gas stokers strike', and in his right hand a rag saying ’bonus’. There was unrest throughout the late 19th century as gas stokers across Britain protested against long working hours and low wages. In 1889 Will Thorne formed a union to fight the Gas Light & Coke Company’s 12 and 18 hour shift demands and succeeded in replacing them with 8 hour shifts. In 1890 the police intervened when a strike by gas stokers in Leeds resulted in violent scenes.

Picture Reference: 10422604
Subject: SOCIETY & WARS > Politics, Government & Law > Political Protest, Strikes
Inventory No.: 1984-0173_0004
Credit: Science Museum Pictorial

Keywords: 1870-1913, 1900s, 20th Century, Action, Age Of Electricity, Cartoons, Cartoon, Company, Coke, Container, Employment, Europe, Gas, Gasometers, Gas Containers, Gas Monsters, Gas Meters, Gas Stokers Strike, Gas & Light Coke Company, Gould, F Carruthers (francis C, Group Of People, Hour, Industrial, Industrial Action, Industry, Light, Low, Low Wages, Man-made, Man Made, Meter, Monster, Organised Group, People, Political, Politics, Political Group, Political Organisation, Political Protest, Protest, Resistance, Robot, Society, Stoker, Striking, Strike, Thorne, Trade, Trade Unionism, Trade Union, Uk, Union, United Kingdom, Wages, Will, Will Thorne, Work, Working, Working Hours

If you want to buy this image as a decorative print, click here: