Pip Gregory

This paper will look at a collection of cartoons from the First World War and will analyse how Shakespeare and other medieval icons continue to be reused in new world situations. The cartoonist of the Great War was situated in a completely different conflict to any that Shakespeare might have experienced or even considered discussing in his plays, and yet he and his characters were readily transcribed through time into new situations. For cartoonists ideas of medieval chivalry were linked to the sacrifice made by so many to become civilian soldiers. Much of their use also results from a lasting Victorian obsession with the medieval period, and thus ready recognition for the viewing public came with such characters in contemporary newspapers. Shakespeare’s plays were given to wartime soldiers to have in the trenches, and the plays were shown throughout the war in theatres on the home front. Thus, the ready translation of Shakespeare and any 'medievalisms' he could have projected through his characters demonstrate lasting medieval impact in a twentieth century ‘total’ war.

This paper looks to cartoon depictions through the First World War and their potential as a form of critical resistance against many political ideas of the day. Such perceptions, of course, need to challenge the widespread social myths about the war, and this paper will consider such ideas by looking at a selection of cartoons of society from various perspectives. Will Dyson‘s cartoon work for the Herald will be considered for his socialist political criticisms, and these will be contrasted with cartoonists such as Percy Fearon (Poy) and William Haselden who sought to depict what might be seen as stronger comedy through their cartooning styles. Poy challenged political representation gently through his art in conservative publications such as the Daily Mail and Evening News, while Haselden sketching for the Daily Mirror avoids political standpoints and considers the general foibles of society around him.

Each of these artists uses comedy in different ways, whilst often to the same end. To this degree, comparisons will be drawn looking at how the comedy in their cartoons is specifically utilised to challenge public perceptions, or political ideas, along with the form of humour commandeered. Here there will be particular reference to Dyson’s more malicious commentary on political society as opposed to Poy and Haselden’s lighter reflections. Conclusions will be reached that comedy in carton was used by so many artists, but that their emphasis on it differs significantly. Ultimately, it could be said that overall cartoons serve as a form of critique against society and political matters relating to the war.

A discussion of interdisciplinary history and some of the issues that it can entail when looking for specific and more generalised historiography are combined within the ideas expressed here. This was offered as part of a doctoral colloquium

Studying Combined Visual and Performative Humour
This paper explores some of the cross-overs between static and performative visual humour from the Great War. A case study will be addressed specifically to the Bystander cartoon by Bruce Bairnsfather, ‘The Better ‘Ole’, and how this image was developed by Bairnsfather and Arthur Eliot into first a play and then later a film starring Sydney Chaplin. This study will consider the reception of each work by its prospective audiences, as can be determined through newspaper reports and theatrical publications. In addition to the material itself, problems of how the historian might address such material and the manner in which it related to different areas of study will also be considered. There are clear advantages to developing cross-curricular study as this will open up awareness to a wider audience, but it does not come without its own set of issues as well. Through this examination, conclusions will be drawn as to the impact of humour during a time of war for the British public viewing both the performative aspects of theatre and the static elements of the daily newspaper cartoon. Similarly conclusions will be reached in terms of cross-curricular research and study.

This is by no means the original, and will almost certainly not be the last version of this I ever produce, but it is something I talk about often with students in schools, and something close to my heart. no two talks are ever the same, but the key notes are at the base of the slides.

Since the Great War, comedy and humour have been deemed necessary features of life for combatants and civilians alike. Much comedy was received by the public on a daily basis through their local and national newspapers, with images of political figures transformed to create humour around their politics. The daily cartoon by the start of the twentieth century was a feature in almost all newspapers and in many ways can be said to have helped them continue to sell throughout the war. As the war progressed additional books of cartoonists’ work were published despite severe paper shortages. Meanwhile cartoonists consistently utilised politicians as fodder for their art work. For example, Lloyd-George was depicted as a master of munitions, a bulldog guardian of national utilities and funds, or merely as a man in the mirror appreciating his own value. Similarly, within these depictions public spirit, or at least the cartoonists and their publishers’ opinions thereof, may be seen, such as Asquith rapidly shrinking in size and aging in caricature as his policies became less popular. Cartoon comedy and satire in the UK had become common place with the advances of Punch and its consistent satirical depictions since the 1850s, but how significant was the cartoon to the viewing public and to the politicians they mocked? Was it simply a daily comedic fix for the masses as the war progressed, or was there greater meaning and legacy in their political influence? These are all questions that this paper seeks to address.

Interactions between Visual and Performative Humour
This paper explores some of the cross-overs between static and performative visual humour from the Great War. A case study will be addressed specifically to the Bystander cartoon by Bruce Bairnsfather, ‘The Better ‘Ole’, and how this image was developed by Bairnsfather and Arthur Eliot into first a play and then later a film starring Sydney Chaplin. This study will consider the reception of each work by its prospective audiences, as can be determined through newspaper reports and theatrical publications. The lasting impact on the viewing public will be considered as well since it is an almost forgotten play, yet the original image has been consistently reproduced by other artists throughout the rest of the twentieth century. Through this examination, conclusions will be drawn as to the impact of humour in a time of war for the British public viewing both the performative aspects of theatre and the static elements of the daily newspaper cartoon.

This paper will address traditional concepts of crime and violence during war times, and then compare it to how such themes are represented through cartoon images. There will be a focus on specific themes that are represented through newspaper cartoon images in Britain during the First World War which offer elements of crime and violence. These themes include aspects of spying, profiteering, pacifism which was deemed to be verging on criminal whilst calls were being consistently made for more recruits, and the wealthy and indiscreet. The paper will conclude with a comparison of another international cartoonist who was published in Britain during the war and the content of his work.

This paper offers an overview of my PhD Thesis, outlining chapters that will be covered, as well as considering the methodology that will be utilised when addressing matters of Visual History and Visual Humour. Two key resources are used throughout which are the collection of cartoons by 'Poy' (Percy Fearson) and details from the London Mail both of 1914-15.

Recent documentaries and television productions have come to address the place humour took during the Great War. Primarily, within these television programmes humour has been considered in terms of its effect on the military through journals such as the Wipers Times produced on the Western Front by soldiers themselves. In contrast, this paper seeks to address how those same soldiers were represented humorously on the Home Front and to an audience with arguably less awareness of the situations in the trenches. Humour in a general sense needs to first be considered and how it was used during the war along with the types of humour that were available before considering more specifically how images of soldiers were placed within the forum of visual humour. Home front cartoons of soldiers by artists such as
William K Haselden, the contributors to Punch and other cartoonists alongside their specific cartoons will be consulted when addressing how the military were depicted humorously through this period of war. There is a growing ‘common knowledge’ of the sometimes dark and satirical humour that the soldiers were famous for that developed into a general mockery of the administration and officers controlling them. At home the comedy presented was of a different nature, authority was still mocked, but in a gentler manner, that sought to raise a laugh and not become outrageously slanderous towards particular people. This paper ultimately seeks to assess how soldiers were used within Home Front cartoon depictions and the accompanying text
that surrounded them in newspapers through the Great War. Assessing the types of humour surrounding such images and how they may contrast with the soldiers own brands of humour in the trenches will serve to offer a clearer picture of wartime humour.

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Satirical and Allegorical Icons.

This paper seeks to address allegorical images used in satirical cartoons through the First World War.It will look at figures used to represent greater aspects of human nature and deific qualities acrossthe period, considering who is most commonly depicted, the role they played and how they wereutilised through newspaper print culture.There will be discussion of the types of people and animals that were created allegorically as manyof these have deistic roots through Greco-Roman stories of the gods. Otherwise metaphysicalaspects of character such as Victory and Liberty are personified again in deistic form, compared tocomportment of Bravery, Strength or Cunning which are created through animal depictions.Such a mixture of animals and deities will be assess contextually in the period, for example, howdeities could imply aspects of faith and belief in a nation during times of war which may have beenused to help unify, or help motivate them.Use of any allegorical representation will always comport layers of understanding for differentviewers, and this is a further development that will be discussed through the paper identifying levelsof understanding that may be reached working through the iconographical range.""

Abstract:

This dissertation looks at the humour within cartoons that depict women produced during the First World War. Humour is discussed from a predominantly historical perspective; however, due to the vast nature of the topic, this is done in consultation with philosophical, psychological and sociological studies. The study of women is separated into typologies through the chapters, and these are inclusive of the allegorical figurehead who is used to represent the nation or cultural themes that are relevant to the nation. The matronly persona who can be identified by any member of the viewing audience as a mother, grandmother or aunt is further used to create humour of superiority and derision. Then finally youthful women, who are further divided by intelligence into two categories. These women create humour through observed mockery and ridicule when they are seen to be of lesser intelligence, or are able to participate in the humour that they create when more aware women are depicted. The chapters are divided firstly into a study of humour, with reference to other studies of various genres, then cartoons, with deeper analysis of how cartoons create humour and where they may be placed in the context of the First World War. These are followed by more specific detail relating to typologies of women in the cartoons. Chapter three looks at the humour created by allegorical and matronly characters, and chapter four studies the more youthful characters at both ends of the intelligence spectrum. Alongside this material, facets of didacticism and agency in cartoons are considered particularly in the context of war and how such agency may seek to subvert or support authority. Additionally aspects of the business of publishing cartoons within newspapers through the Great War are also considered and the affect this could have on the cartoons produced.

Throughout the Great War, the theatre was a steady presence in the minds of combatants and civilians alike. The music hall was rapidly gaining popularity for the middle and lower classes before the war, and the theatre with its offerings of Opera and Shakespeare could be seen by many as the higher levels of such entertainments. Yet throughout all of this, cartoons were another method of entertainment consistently returned to by the public on a daily basis.
For many, cartoons were their first contact with theatrical ideas, while for others it was a reminder of what had been before. The theatre could so often be adapted to suit the mood of the day. This paper therefore seeks to address the ways in which the theatre and war were incorporated into daily political struggles and their depictions in newspapers.
Looking at these cartoons can offer the historian insights into the ways in which the public viewed and interpreted the theatrical ideas they were presented with. Following in Scott McCloud’s theory of mental completion, it can be suggested that the images provide only a modicum of visual stimulus through which the viewing audience is anticipated to complete the picture and the idea that it presents with foreknowledge of the story being told.
In such a way deeper insights to the social structure, viewing public and perceptions that they had of the war and of the theatre may be inferred through close study of cartoon materials. Wider links may be made connecting specific officers and soldiers to theatrical production by way of these everyday cartoons.