Anti–Corn Law League This line drawing, printed on silk fabric, graced the interior crown of a top hat sold as the “Corn Law Repeal Hat.” The Anti–Corn Law League, a forerunner of today’s political pressure groups, successfully used a number of propaganda techniques to mobilize a broad urban coalition dedicated to free trade and the end of tariffs on imported grain. For example, each league supporter was encouraged to join the national organization and receive a membership card like the one pictured here. How do the various texts and scenes on the hat lining evoke arguments against the Corn Laws? Why would these arguments win popular support?
drawing: Universal History Archive/UIG/Bridgeman Images;