BackThe unkindest cut
Five political cartoonists who continue to inspire
Premium
Political and satirical cartoons, by their very nature, are ephemeral. By the time the next day’s newspaper is at your door, the cartoon has lost most of its bite. But some cartoons have the power to live on in public imagination.
Over the years, political cartooning has become as indispensable as news reporting. There is even a Pulitzer Prize awarded every year for the best editorial cartoonist in the US. Of late, the Internet has also provided a voice for minority opinions. We look at five political cartoonists who continue to inspire those who follow.
William Hogarth
No survey of satirical and political cartooning is complete without a mention of the 18th century English painter, printmaker and social critic William Hogarth (1697-1764). His output included a series of pictures he called “modern moral subjects", which were quite similar to modern-day comic strips. Such is his all-pervasive influence that satirical and political illustrations by many later artists have been labelled “Hogarthian".
Hogarth’s well-known works include the series A Harlot’s Progress (1731) and A Rake’s Progress (1735). The latter depicts the reckless life of one Tom Rakewell, who squanders his family fortune and ultimately ends up in Bedlam. But Hogarth’s greatest creation is probably Marriage À-la-mode (1743-45), a series commenting on ill-advised marriages for money’s sake, a practice quite prevalent in England at the time. The Four Stages Of Cruelty, another series, possibly makes him one of the earliest artists to decry the inhuman treatment of animals.
Hogarth also lobbied for a copyright law to protect visual art and recognize the rights of an individual artist as an author.
James Gillray
This English caricaturist (1756-1815) exemplifies the saying that “the pen is mightier than the sword". Famous for his political and social satires, one of Gillray’s pet targets was Napoleon, who is said to have remarked once that Gillray did more damage than any army. One of the most memorable political cartoons ever is Gillray’s depiction of British prime minister William Pitt the Younger and Napoleon carving up a globe (which looks like meat on a dish) into their own spheres of influence. Such is its all-pervading presence that the image has been interpreted by countless cartoonist over the ages.
Thomas Nast
Thomas Nast (1840-1902) is described as the father of American political cartooning. His reputation rests on his depictions of William “Boss" Tweed, a politician who played a major role in the affairs of New York City and the state. Such was Nast’s success that he is often credited with Tweed’s downfall. Tweed lamented: “My constituents can’t read. But they can’t help seeing them damn pictures."
Subtlety was not Nast’s forte; his approach has been compared to an attack with a club rather than a rapier. Nast is credited with creating the political symbol for the Republican Party—the elephant. But ironically, his greatest legacy is probably his depiction of Santa Claus, which appeared on the cover of Harper’s Weekly in 1863.
David Low
Born in New Zealand, David Low (1891-1963) was described as “the dominant cartoonist of the Western world" by The Guardian when he died. Moving to London in 1919, Low built his career on his much loved cartoons featuring Colonel Blimp. Later, he attracted the ire of Adolf Hitler for his cartoons attacking the rise of fascism and Germany’s role in World War II. Apparently, Hitler hated the cartoonist so much that he put down Low’s name in his “black book", listing the people he intended to arrest after invading England.
Herbert Lawrence Block
Popularly known as Herblock, Herbert Lawrence Block (1909-2001) was arguably the greatest American political cartoonist of the 20th century. The winner of three Pulitzer Prizes over a career that spanned more than seven decades, Block was known for his association with The Washington Post, where he worked for 55 years. So much so that the newspaper listed his address as “The Washington Post". Insisting on total editorial freedom, he took on public figures across political and social boundaries. Some of his most famous jibes were targeted at Senator Joseph McCarthy (famous for leading the communist witch-hunt in the US in the 1950s) and president Richard Nixon for his involvement in the Watergate scandal. In fact, Nixon had cancelled his subscription to The Washington Post long before Watergate, when Block caricatured him crawling out of a sewer.
Cartoonists have Block to thank for bequeathing $50 million (around ₹ 315 crore now) upon his death to create an organization which, among other things, awards the annual Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
