A Garland for May Day

🌹 A Garland for May Day 🌹

This stunning cover art from The Clarion, 1 May 1895, wasn’t just decoration—it was a declaration of war against exploitation. Illustrated by Walter Crane, one of Britain’s most politically radical artists, for his collection Cartoons for the Cause, this powerful image celebrated international workers’ solidarity during the rise of socialist and trade union movements in Britain.

Crane’s deliberate use of red flowers, the freedom of the flying doves, and the breaking chains all symbolise liberation from capitalism’s bonds. The central female figure represents both liberty and the dignity of labour—a radical vision in Victorian England where working women were routinely exploited and underpaid.

Today’s May Day bank holiday wasn’t gifted by benevolent rulers or generous employers, it was won through decades of working-class organisation, protest, bloodshed, and sacrifice. It marks an international day of solidarity, first declared in memory of the Haymarket martyrs executed in Chicago in 1887 and to honour the global fight for the 8-hour working day.

As we enjoy our day off, let’s remember that in today’s Britain, where zero-hours contracts proliferate, where workers face real-terms pay cuts year after year, where even with a Labour government, we are still fighting for collective bargaining, the struggle that Walter Crane illustrated continues. In a very real sense, we’re fighting the same battles our great-grandparents fought.

Let’s not forget: every paid holiday, every safe working condition, every bit of job security was fought for, often at terrible cost. And it can be lost just as easily if we let the voices of capital drown out the demands of labour.

May Day is not just a day off. It’s a reminder: the workers united can never be defeated.

Paul Knaggs