London : Morgan & Scott, [1886?]

This fascinating and very detailed picture was used to accompany a sermon given by a member of the evangelist Open-Air Mission in the 1880s. It illustrates the text of Matthew 7: 13-14: “… wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction … narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it”. People gather in the lower region, contemplating which path to take; that on the left is flanked by a tavern, theatre and gambling house and leads to Hell. The wide archway through which it is accessed points to the ease with which one can fall into bad habits. On the right the path to Heaven has far fewer travellers, who pass a church and Sunday School; the eye of God presides over the whole scene, recalling the text of 1 Peter 3:12 – “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous … but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil”. Each action in the picture is accompanied by a Biblical reference; for example, the people drinking outside the theatre on the path to Hell are below ‘Isaiah 5:11’, which warns “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!”

An ingenious way to illustrate a Biblical passage, this image was intended to simplify the Bible for its Victorian audience. Upon hearing the sermon one commentator wrote about this “curious picture which Mr Kirkham hangs up to view … [which] forcefully aids the impression produced by what he speaks”. The image itself has German origins and was designed in the 1850s; copies of this English version were sold for 1 shilling each.

1886.12.19