Constructing a Popular Public Image: Press Representation of the Barrister in Nineteenth Century England

Abstract

Despite the vast research that focuses on the representation of the law, the legal system and lawyers in contemporary popular culture, very little attention has been paid to portrayal of the barrister in the influential press of the nineteenth century. Moreover, numerous scholars have contended that the attention of cultural texts on legal subject matter is a distinctly twentieth century affair. The aim of this thesis is to critically examine the public image of the bar in the popular press of the nineteenth century. This thesis will argue that the press of the nineteenth century created the first recognisable source of mass popular culture, and that the barrister was a central figure within this influential textual and visual media. While histories of the profession have frequently referred to the poor public reputation that the bar held, a substantial analysis of their representation in the most prevalent cultural text of the nineteenth century has not been undertaken. To contribute to current scholarly understandings of the profession, its history and its lasting public image, this thesis will explore the nuanced nature of the public image of bar that was transmitted to the Victorian public and will argue the various reasons why the profession was represented in such a way. Most notably, this thesis will investigate public perceptions of the bar’s traditions, professional activities, education, and regulation.