www.politicalcartoon.com
Elizabeth Shen & Jessica Zhan，Senior division, group website

Political Cartoons in 18th-19th Century

  • Title : Page 1
  • What is political cartoons? : Page 2
  • Political cartoons examples : Page 3-7
  • Impact of political cartoons :Page 8
Introduction 

Political Cartoons 

What is political cartoons?

A political cartoon, a type of editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist's opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine artistic skill, hyperbole and satire in order to question authority and draw attention to corruption, political violence and other social ills.

  • Feature 1

    A political cartoon is also an artistic vehicle characterized by both metaphorical and satirical language. It may point out the contexts, problems, and discrepancies of a political situation. 

  • Feature 2

    It reflects a cartoonist’s judgment and point of view and the visual commentary often exaggerates circumstances, responsible editorial standards do not allow the artist to alter facts.

Political Cartoons - Americans Revolution,1795 

This is a big favorite on the Revolutionary War Tour. It shows the New York Sons of Liberty hanging a Loyalist, or Tory, up by the seat of his pants on the Liberty Pole. 

But that’s not all. Remember, New York was once a Dutch colony, New Netherland. The English took it by military force in 1664. The Dutch stayed after the takeover. They joined up with the Scots (Presbyterians and rivals of the Church of England), and together they became a constant thorn in the side of the English. So let’s take a look at the cartoon again.

In the back row, we see the Dutch, wearing their comically depicted Dutch hats, raising cups of rum. In the front, the Scots, so drunk they can no longer stand upright. On the pole hangs an innocent Englishman, victimized by the lowlifes of the town.

 Give me liberty, or give me death!    

                                                                                 ~~Patrick Henry in a speech to the Second Virginia Convention, 1775

Give me liberty or give me death word are from a speech by Patrick Henry urging the American colonies  to revolt against England. Only in less than a month later, skirmishes between British troops and colonial minutemen at Lexington and Concord resulted in “the shot heard round the world” and the first casualties of the Revolutionary War.

 

The American Rattle Snake, 1782

  • Many of you would recognize the old “Join or Die” drawn by Ben Franklin or the “Don’t Tread on Me” Gadsden flag. Here’s another use of the snake.

  • This depicts the final defeat of the British in 1781. The snake has the British Army surrounded.

  • The snake says “Two British Armies I have thus Burgoyned, And Room for More I’ve Got Behind” This References the defeat of British Gen. John Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777, a strategic loss for the British.

  • The bottom left caption says “Britons Within the Yankeean Plains, Mind how ye March and Trench” warning the remaining forces to be careful in their movements.

  • The bottom right caption says “The Serpent in the Congress Reigns As well as in the French”  The Devil is behind the rebellion in America and let’s not forget the French!

  • On the snake’s rattle a sign says “An Apartment to lett for Military Gentlemen” who are now out of work.

The Patriotick Barber of New York or the Captain in the Suds, 1775

  • This print depicts an event in NYC that happened October 1774 when Jacob Vredenburgh, a barber and well-known New York Son of Liberty (right), refused to shave Captain John Crozer after finding out he was a military officer.
  • Notice that Crozer is half shaved, with his wig still off as he’s being kicked out of the shop! The baber, his assistant and their friends outside all have ugly, demonic faces. On the shelf in the back of the shop are wig boxes bearing the names of the leaders of the NY Sons of Liberty, Alexander McDougall, and John Lamb, as well as boxes piled up in the front where we can see Isaac Sears.
  • On the back wall is the “Speech of Lord Chatham,” William Pitt, whose portrait hangs next to it. Pitt was opposed to the Parliament’s treatment of the colonies and a big favorite in NYC. On the right hangs the “Articles of Association” which created the rebel NY government. ( not sure who is in the other portrait.)
  • The caption says “Then Patriot grand, maintain thy Stand,/ And whilst thou sav’st Americ’s Land,/ Preserve the Golden Rule;–/ Forbid the Captains there to roam,/ Half shave them first; then send ’em home,/ Objects of ridicule.”

The British Lion engaging Four Powers, 1780

This 1782 cartoon by J. Barrow shows the colonies’ success at gaining allies who would join them against Great Britain in their fight for political freedom and control of their global trade. It depicts a British lion facing off against four different powers: France as a cockerel; Spain and Holland as two dogs, and the American colonies as a snake.

The Lion, on the right, represents England, facing off against his enemies during the Revolutionary War, who teamed up to help America. He tells them “You shall all have an old English drubbing to make you quiet.” In other words, I will beat you all!

On the top, a Spaniel “I will have Gibraltar that I may be king of all Spain.”

Next down is a Chicken, “I will have my title from you and be called King of France.”

The Snake: “I will have America and be Independent.”

The Pug Dog (Holland): “I will be jack of all sides as I have always been.” (Commenting on the Dutch claims to be neutral but really supporting America during the war.)

The Conference between the Brothers HOW to get Rich，1777

You didn’t think anti-war sentiment is new, did you? Well, here’s a cartoon showing the two British commanders, General Willam and Admiral Richard How pondering a way to profit on the war. Advising them is the devil! (By the way, this is an anti-war cartoon from England, done by opponents of the ongoing war in America.)

On the right: “Brother HOW poor we are. HOW shall we get RICH”

On the left: “I don’t know HOW HOW we can”

The Devil: “HOW HOW continue the War”

In the background is a poor farmer growing cabbage.

The impact of political cartoons

Art and imagery have been around for centuries upon centuries. The utilization of such a imaginative outlet has infinite possibilities when an artist sits down to create their masterpiece. But how could drawings and paintings have an impact on the political scene? 

First--the impact

Political cartoons are described as a visual commentary expressing the artist’s opinion. They’re extremely popular to find in newspapers and articles describing political problems or issues of the time period in which it was created. The earliest known cartoon was published in Ben Franklin’s The Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9th, 1754. It acted as part of an editorial where Franklin described the “present disunited state of the British colonies.” In the image, a picture of a severed snake labeled with the abbreviations of the British colonies. Along with the picture, the caption is written in capital letters, reading “join or die.”

Second--why so significant?

But why are political cartoons considered so monumental throughout history, seeing as they’ve been around for all this time? In the early publications of newspapers, education wasn’t deemed as important as working on the farm for your family. Majority of lower class citizens were illiterate, being unable to read or write in their native language. Due to this, publication of cartoons helped for these individuals to grasp an idea of what issues were plaguing the government and political scene at the time. Despite the fact most were still unable to fully understand what the image was trying to convey, their interpretation of it slightly increased the vague understanding they had on the issue previously.

Third--impact now

As time has carried on and people have since learned to read, write, and educate themselves, political cartoons still remain in modern day newspapers and magazines. Their use has remained the same, only for a different reason this time. The images are published in order to educate individuals who don’t have the time nor resources to research or read about current problems. In spite of the fact the media is a huge portion of most lives, it has proven to be much more attention-catching than a headline followed by paragraphs upon paragraphs of text. Who knows if or when political cartoons will stop being relevant in society, but for now, their presence throughout history has been significant.

Bibliography

Andrews, Evan. “Patrick Henry’s ‘Liberty or Death’ Speech.” HISTORY, 23 Aug. 2018, www.history.com/news/patrick-henrys-liberty-or-death-speech-240-years-ago.

Baker, Author Salina B. “6 Favorite Sons of Liberty Quotes.” Salina B Baker, 19 Aug. 2017, salinabakerauthor.com/2017/08/19/6-favorite-sons-of-liberty-quotes/. Accessed 27 Apr. 2021.

Barrat, John. “The American Revolution History You Didn’t Learn in High School.” Smithsonian, 27 July 2018, insider.si.edu/2018/07/the-american-revolution-history-you-didnt-learn-in-high-school/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20British%20Lion%20engaging%20Four%20Powers%2C%E2%80%9D%201782%20%28Copyright,political%20freedom%20and%20control%20of%20their%20global%20trade..

Donald, Gray. “The Best Political Cartoons from the 1800s.” SWAMP, 2018, vocal.media/theSwamp/the-best-political-cartoons-from-the-1800s.

Elkanah, Tisdale. “The Tory’s Day of Judgment / E. Tisdale, Del et Sculpt.,” Https://Www.loc.gov/Item/2006691561/, 1795.

J, Barrow. “The British Lion Engaging Four Powers,” Https://Www.loc.gov/Item/2004673480/?__cf_chl_captcha_tk__=Cd0c3a6f3f4fc6b1510665d8f3538553376d8b66-1619495263-0-AZ_840Hd7466lKg2wjkJ4OM9bswrX2KBoTSMtO5e_qY075abH_zrtTmRBp5S5KFH_xvzog-XMpSsFMjxvx11CgrcnhKfzpGZwY7aaIX0CxqcN7IlMp866WUEkPjwyxWBfMRDdGinuQfr98D-RdLdJDqUPzc6rx-A9tm0SdwCeYFUkU4i1IhPzhLkFGjlZvASPDtmHXXrO9zhKsfZqsIR2PVWez2tfrxi9E6JqfGUhJ6v_AkUJSJcPNPbr3RgW93eQ9PP8uxHzlj7hED46MabK0YFib-RSYZ8hX2XSBvOMwu4CsXiI3Sg4qExpIkT1Wbgzy_pENi7nTT1q_-TTZALgOgFFA4qVbV10G8EeZeC2Xe3m3HaRGdpUcAPRSqC-B9IsB2sNqKP2zCDti6asw-_VQIiLeLTR6XngLphvIbzxJQlAmIJn8_ijTxy9XUH_Ksvc8csVm_fphaRmZmx9M6f5UWReSwwgc_8D7a9pCe2O_h_HaI4iUszXy_BmUOW1mNZYMT5BgJn2o7l-CUtPcNOlFYJN8-32cln6fIijvNi-AZFvs3519Qzo93_1V19Z17A2oFoOepOO16yKskhEREymKRR2fEj-AxUvM9t42b62x_WkO_Vz3-L-D7ffnmwGmC7zg, 14 June 1782.

“Political Cartoon.” Wikipedia, 8 May 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_cartoon.

Q, Karen. “Political Cartoons American Revolution.” Patriot Tours Historic Walking Tours NYC, 27 Nov. 2018, patriottoursnyc.com/political-cartoons-american-revolution/.

W, Williams. “The Conference between the Brothers How to Get Rich,” Https://Www.loc.gov/Item/2004673330/#:~:Text=The%20conference%20between%20the%20brothers%20how%20to%20get,Rich%22%20by%20saying%2C%20%22How%2C%20How%2C%20continue%20the%20war.%22, 10 Oct. 1777.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Sons of Liberty.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Nov. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Liberty.

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