This work explores some of the source material that reported on the attitude of the British Empire towards its Irish subjects at a time of Ireland's most desperate need. 'This is an excellent book on an important subject. Here, the late Professor Leslie A. Williams brings her sharp sensibilities as an art historian to bear upon the social, economic, and human history of both Ireland and England in the years immediately preceding, during, and following the Great Irish Famine - or Great Hunger , as many Irish people prefer to call it - of 1845-51.' Irish Studies Review '... a fresh and valuable contribution to what had begun to seem an overworked field.' Albion '... [a] fine study... Williams provides an important contribution to famine historiography and to understanding the British press in the nineteenth century.' American Historical Review '... a substantial addition to both periodical criticism and the history of British-Irish relations.' Victorian Periodicals Review