Let in the light
1905
In this striking 1905 illustration titled 'Let in the light,' a terrified monarch clad in purple robes and a heavy crown cowers against a curtain, desperately trying to block out the blinding yellow light labeled 'PROGRESS' streaming through the window. Behind him, the darkness is filled with grotesque, goblin-like faces, implying that by rejecting the light of modernity, he is trapped in a room full of monsters and his own fears. Created by Frank Arthur Nankivell, a star cartoonist for Puck magazine, this vivid allegory satirizes autocratic rulers who were terrified of the democratic changes sweeping the early 20th century.
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