Political Cartoons - One Minute History

While the practice of using images to deliver political commentary can be traced back to the 16th century Protestant Reformation in Germany, Benjamin Franklin is credited with the first political cartoon in 1754. The cartoon — entitled “Join or Die” — depicted a snake severed into pieces to symbolize the disconnected American colonies. Shortly after, British artist James Gillray became famous for his cartoons targeting King George III. Gillray, referred to as the “father of political cartoons, created nearly 1000 prints between 1792 and 1810. Political cartoons then gained traction during the American Civil War with artist Thomas Nast, who created iconic drawings including “Uncle Sam” as well as the Republican Elephant and Democratic Donkey. Today, political cartoons remain a staple of newspaper editorial pages.

Read by Adam Giles - TWITTER @adzreflects - [email protected]

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