Massive editorial cartoon database.

May 13, 2006 11:01 AM

Searchable database of >120,000, reasonably high-resolution editorial cartooons. Mainly from the UK, and from the last 100 years. Search by person depicted (e.g., Thatcher, Gorbachev, Thatcher and Gorbachev); by year (e.g., Hitler and Stalin in 1941 or 1942), by design elements (e.g., cartoons referencing sculpture by Rodin, or cartoons with zebras), by topic (e.g., BSE, Falklands War), by artist (e.g., William Hogarth, L.G. Illingworth, Carl Giles, Steve Bell) or by publication outlet (e.g., Punch, Evening Standard (over 10,000 from Evening Standard alone). There is a handy searching wizard as well.
posted by Rumple (17 comments total)

Fantastic. Thanks for this.
posted by languagehat at 11:08 AM on May 13, 2006

That's absolutely amazing. Really makes you realize how insipid most political cartoons have become.
posted by Pontius Pilate at 11:17 AM on May 13, 2006

For a second I thought I might be able to find this amazing editorial cartoon I saw while watching They Came for Good a couple of months ago. Since it is mostly from the UK, it probably won't help. Then again, I can't remember much of anything about what was in it, or why I thought it was so interesting, so..

Still, great stuff!
posted by Chuckles at 11:45 AM on May 13, 2006

Gah! I typed "Nixon" into the search engine, started browsing the cartoons, when I suddenly felt an evil presence in the room.

Also, great post.
posted by LarryC at 11:46 AM on May 13, 2006

This is is fantastic. I've already learned that I'm a fan of Sidney `George' Strube's classic British editorial style. I'd also recommend Vicky's consistently great work.

Damn you Rumple - I was just about to step away from the computer and go the gym!!!
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 11:48 AM on May 13, 2006

I searched on Churchill. Jeez, the guy put up with a lot. Fun to see the tone change.
posted by CunningLinguist at 12:37 PM on May 13, 2006

David Low on Hitler (626 hits).

Thanks a lot for this!
posted by Termite at 12:45 PM on May 13, 2006

Totally rad.
posted by freebird at 12:59 PM on May 13, 2006

Termite: David Low on Hitler
Yow. This one is painful with hindsight.

I loved this one though. "Japan protesting that she desires peace" - that gets a wincing laugh.
posted by Popular Ethics at 1:01 PM on May 13, 2006

prescient one from 13th Sept, 2001, and another post-Iraq-invasion one.
posted by Rumple at 1:33 PM on May 13, 2006

David Low is great. I did some searching for World War I cartoons, they are mostly W.K. Haselden who isn't that interesting. However, David Low is brilliant - profiteer punisher, jackbooted thugs, Germany restored!

They need to give permalinks though. Most of the direct links posted so far are indexing into searches, so I presume when new images are added to their database the links will be wrong..
posted by Chuckles at 1:57 PM on May 13, 2006

Flagged... as fantastic. Thanks.
posted by klangklangston at 2:22 PM on May 13, 2006

Wonderful - Giles predating the rise of the mobile phone - "Sorry, my wife's fitted me up with one of those Prince Charles bleepers so she knows where I am"
posted by Lanark at 2:47 PM on May 13, 2006

truly best of the web. amazing.
posted by twistedonion at 3:02 PM on May 13, 2006

Absolutely brilliant. Particularly enjoying browsing the Steve Bell and Martin Rowson archives.
posted by Len at 4:41 PM on May 13, 2006

Wow. Brilliant. Thanks Rumple.
posted by peacay at 6:20 PM on May 13, 2006

Excellent post...thanks.
posted by i_cola at 3:09 AM on May 14, 2006