Peterloo Poster - "To the Inhabitants of Manchester"

Peterloo Poster - "To the Inhabitants of Manchester"

Poster inviting demonstrators to attend the meeting at St Peter's Field, Manchester, which was attacked by Yeomen cavalry on 16 August 1819.

At a time of massive distress as industrialisation had created unbearable conditions for the workers of Manchester and the surrounding towns, 60,000 people had gathered demanding reform of Parliament - which at the time only 17,000 people out of a population of nearly a million were entitled to vote for the two seats in Lancashire. The organisers stressed the peaceful nature of the demonstration, but the Government and local magistrates wanted to make it clear that they were prepared to kill people to maintain their privileged position and profits.

18 people were murdered and hundreds injured when the cavalry charged, swinging their sabres, into the crowd.

The event became known as the Peterloo Massacre - a reference to the Battle of Waterloo, four years earlier.

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Radical posters before the 20th century were predominantly text-based, primarily used to advertise events, meetings, and demonstrations rather than relying on colourful graphic imagery to convey ideas. While some did incorporate sketches or cartoons, these were relatively modest compared to the bold visual styles that emerged later.

Although the technology for producing striking graphics existed at the time and was widely used in commercial advertising, such vivid and imaginative designs were less common in political posters. It wasn’t until later that the kind of dynamic, visually arresting imagery often associated with the Russian and Spanish Revolutions blossomed in radical posters.

The posters in our pre-20th century selection reflect this earlier approach – they focus squarely on delivering a direct message, often employing dramatic language and typography to capture attention and provoke thought.