Art UK has updated its cookies policy. By using this website you are agreeing to the use of cookies. To find out more read our updated Use of Cookies policy and our updated Privacy policy.

Dockers Union Banner

Image credit: People's History Museum

How you can use this image

This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).

Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.

The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Workers Union of Great Britain and Ireland, Dockers Union Export Branch banner, 1890s. This union was formed in 1889 after the Great Dock Strike. This banner design and the mottos it uses reflect the militancy of new unions that arose in the 1880s. This side of the banner depicts Hercules wrestling a serpent, which can be seen as him waging 'holy war' against 'Destitution, Prostitution and Exploitation'. The words have been taken from the speeches of Cardinal Manning, who was the mediator for the Dockers in their successful 1889 strike. The design was taken from Walter Crane's 'Hercules and the Old Man of the Sea' drawing published in 1892. The banner makers George Tutill frequently used Walter Crane's images as inspiration for their designs.

People's History Museum

Manchester

Title

Dockers Union Banner

Date

1890s

Medium

oil on silk

Measurements

H 200 x W 190 cm (E)

Accession number

NMLH1993.58B

Acquisition method

gift, c.1980

Work type

Banner

Tags

This artwork does not have any tags yet. You can help by tagging artworks on Tagger.

Normally on display at

People's History Museum

Left Bank, Spinningfields, Manchester, Greater Manchester M3 3ER England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue