Political Cartoons Through the Years – 13 March 2018

Ian McAnulla was the speaker at our Tuesday evening meeting. Political cartoons from the last 100 years were examined in detail. From their finer, clever messages to the blatant political statements, Ian made his audience analyse and appreciate the layers of information visible in each cartoon. He showed the subliminal detail, which can be easily missed or ignored, and in one particular drawing of Theresa May and Boris Johnson, this was demonstrated by highlighting a plain designed teacup at her side and a Mickey Mouse design for his cup. Asked how he became interested in this field, Ian said that when he was at university; he was intrigued by a fascinating 1933 German cartoon of various animals and birds giving the Nazi salute to Hermann Goring. At that time there was widespread support for animal welfare in Nazi Germany among the country’s leadership. Somewhat ironically, Adolf Hitler and his top officials took a variety of measures to ensure animal welfare. Many Nazi leaders, including Hitler and Hermann Göring, were supporters of animal rights and conservation. Ian added that there was a twisted belief that animals too, had to be purely bred. Even with “techno-failure” Ian was the consummate professional, having produced colour printed cartoon example handouts for each member of his audience to examine, enabling him to continue with his presentation. Ronnie Wilson gave a well-deserved complimentary vote of thanks.

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