Columbia's Fix

This porcelain plaque refers to the Trent Affair. It is also known as the Mason and Slidell Affair, a diplomatic incident which occurred shortly after the Civil War had broken out. On November 8, 1861, the USS San Jacinto intercepted the British mail packet Trent and removed the Confederate diplomats, James Mason and John Slidell—two envoys bound for Great Britain and France to press for diplomatic recognition by Europe. The British public expressed outrage and viewed the incident as an insult to their national honor. Queen Victoria’s government demanded that the United States issue an apology and the release of the prisoners, while, concurrently, it took steps to reinforce its military in Canada and on the Atlantic Ocean. While the two nations came perilously close to the brink of war, the Lincoln administration disavowed the act and released the envoys, but no formal apology was ever issued. Whereas Mason and Slidell resumed their diplomatic mission, they were unsuccessful in achieving diplomatic recognition for the Confederacy.

Although President Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet met on December 26, news of the Union’s concession did not reach Parliament until January 8, 1862. The museum’s porcelain is taken directly from a political cartoon titled Columbia’s Fix, which was part of a series executed by John Tennie (1820–1914) published in Punch between 1860 and 1865. It is based on an illustration that appeared in the December 28, 1861, issue, at which time the outcome of the affair was still unknown in Britain. It portrays Columbia as the United States, garbed in the stars and stripes, clutching the dove of peace to her bosom while perched on her right wrist glowers a black eagle labeled “War.”