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| Promoted to be a Chinaman | Phil May |
Promoted to be a ChinamanQuong Tart (loq.) In the name of his Imperial Chinese majesty I hereby confer upon you the distinguished Order of the Yellow Pup.”John Bull “When you’ve quite done, Mr. Tart, I also have something to confer.”
[Ed. Mei Quong Tart was a successful Sydney merchant and philanthropist. He was one of the few Chinese-Australians that was well known within the NSW community and further. In addition to being a naturalised British subject, he was also had official ranking with the Chinese Government, which enabled him to act as a mediator in matters of common interest between the Chinese authorities, the Australian Colonies and the British Crown, such as Chinese immigration into Australia. Mei Quong Tart was famous for claiming Scottish ancestry and giving performances of Scottish-themed verse and song; hence, Phil May depicts him wearing a highland kilt and feathered cap. He was an observant, but non-sectarian, Anglican. Even so, May mischievously has him awarding Sir Henry Parkes a fictitious 'The Order of The Yellow Pup' medal—the 'yellow pup' was used by Bulletin artists as a symbol designating Parkes' political affiliations with sectarian Protestant groups. In the background, May depicts John Bull, the standard symbol of the British establishment, standing by to award Tart with a prestigious GCMG honor, presumably, for Parkes' 'submission' before Tart. Although May depects Tart as being in a socially superior position to Parkes, the illustration reflects the The Bulletin's hostile anti-Chinese views. The Bulletin feared that Parkes would backslide on restricting Chinese immigration in order to appease the British authorities, to such an extent that Parkes would prostrate himself before someone of Chinese descent. This interpretation by no means exhausts the possible readings of this complex image. See also J. Lea-Scarlett, 'Mei Quong Tart (1850–1903)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.]
