Overview
- The only book to specifically analyse visual images of finance in Britain during the nineteenth century
- Represents a unique multi-disciplinary approach to the study of financial history
- Depicts the financiers, Merchant Princes, and Charlatans, and the financial events through which they lived
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Table of contents (10 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
This book provides a critical analysis of visual images of British and international finance during the nineteenth century. Its focus is on the financiers themselves, contrasting the depiction of the respectable Merchant Princes with the less than perfect charlatans (white-collar criminals) who defrauded investors of millions. The breakdown of trust between financiers and investors that evolved during this period is represented visually in depictions of the emotional response of investors to the uncertain financial climate.
Throughout the book a PEARL methodology has been used to critique the images reflecting the impact of any Publisher’s political bias, the Editorial and Artistic techniques used to convey the messages in the images, and the Legal context (especially a concern in countries such as France and Germany where censorship was strict).
The book concludes that white-collar criminals were invariably secretly admired in Britain, and rarely severely satirised. Similarly, Merchant Princes were depicted favourably in Britain as members of the ruling elite during the latter half of the century. This is contrasted with the more extreme anti-monopolistic images in the US and the extreme anti-Semitic treatment of Jewish financiers in France and Germany.Reviews
—Matthew Hollow, Senior Lecturer in Strategy, York Management School
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Henry Sless is currently a Research Associate at Henley Business School at the University of Reading, UK. He received a Master’s in historical cartoons from the University of Kent, UK, and a doctorate in visual images of finance in the Victorian era from the University of Reading. For further details of his areas of interest, please see his site: www.figuringfinance.com
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Merchant Princes and Charlatans or Makers of Money?
Book Subtitle: Decoding Icons of Nineteenth Century British and International Finance
Authors: Henry Sless
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86604-4
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Economics and Finance, Economics and Finance (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-86603-7Published: 19 December 2021
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-86606-8Published: 20 December 2022
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-86604-4Published: 01 January 2022
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXXIII, 338
Number of Illustrations: 67 b/w illustrations, 98 illustrations in colour
Topics: Financial History, European History, Arts