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A political cartoon can deliver a powerful message. So powerful, in fact, that it can shape public opinion. From their inception in the 18th century, cartoons were seen as way of expressing political views, either by their creators, known as editorial cartoonists, or by the magazine or newspaper publishing the artwork.
These cartoons were, and remain, essentially caricatures of public figures. They typically combine artistic skill, hyperbole, and satire in order to either question authority or draw attention to corruption, political violence, and other social ills, and usually relate to current events and personalities. Simply put, the political cartoon offers a brightly colored alternative to formal news reporting. But who are some of the early pioneers of this unique artistic discipline, and what was their subject matter?
For answers, click through and draw on this brief history of the political cartoon.
In 1721, English painter, engraver, and editorial cartoonist William Hogarth created what's generally recognized as the first political cartoon.
Hogarth's 'Emblematic Print on the South Sea Scheme' caricatures the collapse of the South Sea Company and the financial speculation, corruption, and credulity that caused the so-called South Sea Bubble, the disastrous stock market crash that emptied the pockets of numerous English shareholders.
An early example of political satire in America is the cartoon created by Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. 'Join, or Die,' published in 1754, served as a warning to the British colonies in America to "join or die," exhorting them to unite against the French and Native Americans. It shows a sliced-up snake, each segment representing a British American colony.
The man credited with developing the political cartoon in the latter half of the 18th century is British caricaturist and printmaker James Gillray.
Gillray took great pleasure in calling to account kings, prime ministers, generals, and the rich, famous, and frivolous. He's regarded by many as the father of the political cartoon. One of his most famous works is 'The Plumb-Pudding in Danger,' published in 1805. The cartoon depicts British Prime Minister William Pitt and the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte carving up the world between them. It essentially mocks the idea that the two countries could peacefully work together.
Establishing the role of the political cartoonist in Great Britain was George Cruikshank, who became the leading exponent of the art after James Gillray.
George Cruikshank is especially known for including John Bull, the national personification of England, in many of his cartoons, including this one, named 'Peace and Plenty or Good News for John Bull!!!,' published in 1814 when Napoleon (pictured left on the horizon) was languishing in exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba.
The debut of Punch magazine in 1841 provided a regular and high-profile canvas for political cartoonists. Famous for its satiric humor and caricatures and cartoons, the London-based periodical launched the careers of several illustrators and graphic humorists, including John Tenniel.
John Tenniel worked for Punch magazine for over 50 years. In 1893, he was knighted for his artistic achievements, the first such honor ever bestowed on an illustrator or cartoonist. Tenniel, by the way, also worked with Lewis Carroll to illustrate 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' (1865) and 'Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There' (1871).
As the chief cartoonist for Punch, Tenniel was the most prolific and influential cartoonist of the 1850s and '60s. Many of his political cartoons expressed strong hostility to Irish nationalism, for example 'The Irish Land Question,' published in 1870. It was the name given in the 19th century to the problem of land ownership and agrarian distress in Ireland under British rule.
Lampooning political figures was, and remains, a favorite method employed by cartoonists of mocking their subjects. British Prime Minister William Gladstone was a great friend to the Scotch whisky industry. In 1829, he abolished the taxes on malt and introduced legislation allowing Scotch to be sold in glass bottles for the first time. No doubt his generous exemption would have been reciprocated by way of votes. Gladstone is seen here as a kilted dancer celebrating his cynical move.
The American Civil War saw satire flourish on both sides of the fence. In this 1865 cartoon entitled 'The Rail Splitter at Work Repairing the Union,' drawn by Joseph E. Baker, Vice President Andrew Johnson is seen sitting atop a globe, attempting to stitch together a map of the United States with needle and thread. Abraham Lincoln stands on his right using a split rail to position the globe. Johnson warns, "Take it quietly Uncle Abe and I will draw it closer than ever." While Lincoln commends him, "A few more stitches Andy and the good old Union will be mended."
The American response to Punch, meanwhile, was the publication in 1877 of Puck magazine. Initially based in St. Louis but later New York City, Puck was the United States' first successful humor magazine. Through cartoons and articles, it brought complicated subjects to everyday people.
Austrian Joseph Keppler greatly influenced the growth of satirical cartooning in the United States. In 1874, he began contributing political cartoons to Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. But it was his work for Puck that captured the public's imagination. In this 1889 Prohibition cartoon, an elderly prohibitionist is receiving a poor welcome from those states without 'dry laws' at the time.
One of the most renowned cartoons to appear in Puck was 'The Bosses of the Senate' by Keppler, who in fact founded Puck as a German-language edition in 1876. Keppler's cartoon serves as a scathing commentary on the control by fat cat businessmen over the US Senate, and how such power and influence can erode democracy.
Another notable cartoon that appeared on the front cover of Puck, this one from 1906, depicts US President Theodore Roosevelt introducing William Taft as his crown prince, or rather his presidential successor. Taft won the White House in 1908.
In 1915, Puck magazine symbolized the awakening of the nation's women to the desire for suffrage in a special suffrage issue. German-born Henry "Hy" Mayer, Puck's head cartoonist at the time, created a memorable two-page spread entitled 'The Awakening' to coincide with the Empire State Campaign, a 1915 referendum on a proposed amendment to the New York State constitution that would have granted women in the state full suffrage. New Yorkers voted against the referendum.
Artists who had left Puck magazine decided to launch a rival magazine called Judge. The first issue appeared on the shelves in October 1881. The editors were pro-Republican Party and persuaded their cartoonists to lampoon the Democrat cause. The cover of this 1896 edition features Grover Cleveland as a maid delivering a raft of Democratic blunders. It was created by Victor Gillam.
The First World War saw many political cartoons published, though stringent censorship laws limited any content deemed defeatist or unpatriotic. Typically, cartoons of the era played on patriotism. Here, an allegory of alliances at the beginning of the conflict sees strong athletes compete in tug-of-war, with Germany and Austria on one side and Belgium, Britain, France, Yugoslavia, Japan, and Finland on the other. Italy is the judge scrutinizing the contenders.
In Europe, Simplicissimus was a German weekly satirical magazine, founded by Albert Langen in April 1896. The magazine took a strong stand against extremists during the Weimar period, until 1933 when Jewish employees and the liberal editor-in-chief Franz Schoenberner were ousted by National Socialists. This edition from August 1925 shows Adolf Hitler hawking his recently published autobiographical manifesto 'Mein Kampf' to disinterested drinkers in a Munich bar. The illustration is by celebrated artist Erich Schilling. Interestingly, Schilling, though critical of the Nazi Party in the early 1930s, changed his views after the subject of his cartoon gained power.
Political cartoonists working throughout the Second World War shared a common theme with their earlier counterparts by depicting those in power as eager to shore up territory. In this illustration from Punch called 'The European hotch-potch,' Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill lean over a jigsaw map of the continent after convening at the Yalta Conference of February 1945. The artwork is by Englishman E.H. Shepherd, better known for his illustrations of the anthropomorphic animal and soft toy characters in 'The Wind in the Willows' and 'Winnie-the-Pooh.'
American graphic artist J. Howard Miller's Second World War-era poster 'We Can Do It!' was published in 1943 specifically to encourage women to join the war effort and take on industrial jobs traditionally done by men. The iconic artwork introduced the hard-working "Rosie the Riveter" to the American public.
The Cold War of the 1950s and '60s provided political cartoonists with plenty of material. British artist Stanley Franklin enjoyed a long career with the Daily Mirror and Sun newspapers. In February 1961, he created this renowned cartoon. Khrushchev, de Gaulle, Macmillan, and Kennedy are seen perched on a bomb in the shape of the Earth, a lighted fuse attached to it. The Big Bang is about to be usurped by a nuclear explosion.
Franklin was also responsible for this amusing cartoon. It shows British Prime Minister Harold Wilson visiting Moscow. But rather than eavesdropping on state matters such as trade and defense, Soviet spies— as well as the Russian public—want to know all about the Profumo affair, a major scandal in British politics during the early 1960s when the British Secretary of State for War had an extramarital affair with a call girl whose other client was a Soviet naval attaché. The fallout contributed to the Conservative government's defeat by the Labor Party in the 1964 general election.
The Watergate scandal had cartoonists reaching for their pens 24/7. In 1973, artist and illustrator Jean-Claude Suares produced this blistering visual comment on the Watergate scandal by depicting a huge reel of audio tape crashing onto the White House.
The life of a political cartoonist can be a dangerous one. This was tragically illustrated in 2015 when the Paris office of French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo was targeted by al-Qaeda extremists after a cartoon was published that depicted Muhammed. Twelve people died and 11 others were injured. In the wake of the attack, the slogan and logo Je Suis Charlie ("I am Charlie") came to symbolize freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
British political cartoonist Steve Bell worked for the UK's The Guardian newspaper from 1981 to 2023. During his tenure, he produced some remarkable and often controversial artwork. Here, new Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair confronts former Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a scene straight out of a Dracula movie.
Sources: (Historic UK) (Illustration History) (First Amendment Museum)
The satirical art of the political cartoon
Drawing on the history of this unique artform
LIFESTYLE Politics
A political cartoon can deliver a powerful message. So powerful, in fact, that it can shape public opinion. From their inception in the 18th century, cartoons were seen as way of expressing political views, either by their creators, known as editorial cartoonists, or by the magazine or newspaper publishing the artwork.
These cartoons were, and remain, essentially caricatures of public figures. They typically combine artistic skill, hyperbole, and satire in order to either question authority or draw attention to corruption, political violence, and other social ills, and usually relate to current events and personalities. Simply put, the political cartoon offers a brightly colored alternative to formal news reporting. But who are some of the early pioneers of this unique artistic discipline, and what was their subject matter?
For answers, click through and draw on this brief history of the political cartoon.