Cartoons are
often thought of as a way to keep the children quiet in the afternoon when it’s
naptime for mom and dad. They often depict imaginative worlds or ideals, which
could never be true. However, cartoons originated as a way to express one’s
opinion without using words and they often featured some of the world’s most
well known leaders; and most undesired. Cartoons were mostly satirical and
humorous, but not to the person who was the center of the joke.
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| Satirical Cartoon of the beginning of WWI |
These types of
cartoons boomed during the wakening of World War I. A person must understand
that cameras were not as popular during WWI and most people did not own one. If
a person did own one, it was not very user friendly or very portable. Photos of
the actual war were also very graphic and seen as distasteful and grotesque.
Cartoons were seen as a way for people to get their minds off of the actuality
of the war. Cartoons became a way for others to express exaggerated discontent
of the world leaders. In some nations, certain news pamphlets were censored,
but not that many satirical comic newsletters were.
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| French Patriotic Cartoon |
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| German appeal to emotions cartoon |
There were many
purposes and uses for this style of cartooning during World War I. Europe, of
course, was the place where the war was actually happening; which was a reality
that Americans did not have to face. Therefore, Europeans not only use cartoons
to poke fun at opposing leaders, they used cartoons in many other ways. Germany
and Austria-Hungary had the two world leaders were the favorites to caricature.
Making cartoons of these two made citizens in France, Britain, and Russia feel
more at an advantage than Germany and Austria-Hungary simply because of the
cartoon, which took their minds off of the war at hand. Cartoons also served as
a means of making a statement. Satirical cartoons were pretty well done and got
the point across to the audience without using very many words. They could also
be used to encourage the population that viewed the cartoons. There were often
very nationalist cartoons drawn for the intent of building the imagined sense
of national pride. Not only were cartoons satirical, but they were also made to
express emotion. Though cartoons are only caricatures or exaggerated, drawn
images, there is a sense of emotion that one can get from them, especially
during the WWI time frame. Of course, husbands and sons were off at war so
cartoons depicting a dramatic scene could appeal to a wife or mother with very
much emotion.
World War I also
brought in the era of comic strips and other cartooning. Comic book magazines
became popular and allowed for the ushering in of super hero characters that
are still well known to this day. Cartoonists became very valued in society and
also became extremely wealthy after the war. Propaganda began to be produced in
a cartoon style and making fun of the opposition became the norm for the rest
of the century. Therefore, cartoons should be valued much more than what they
actually are. If a cartoon is well done and well read, it should relay a
message to the reader that is not imaginative or complete non-sense.
Glasgow's 'Wilfred Owen of Cartooning' Rediscovered After 100 Years. October 6, 2014. BBC, http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-29458023
Punches and Punchlines: Cartoons and Satire of WWI. Pictures of World War I. http://picturesofworldwar1.com/media-communication/cartoons-and-satire
Houston-Waesch, Monica. World War I Centenary: Cartoons. WSJ. http://online.wsj.com/ww1/cartoons
Punch. Online Gallery of WWI Cartoons. http://www.punch.co.uk
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