Editorial Cartoons: The Six W's

What are editorial cartoons?

An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon,¹ is a comic-like graphic, usually depicting a caricature of a public figure. Some political cartoons may also portray a current event or social attitudes/norms. Traditionally found in the opinion section of periodicals, a political cartoon usually represents the artist's opinion of the public figure, current event, or social attitude/norm, but this is not always the case. Artistic skill, hyperbole, and satire are combined to bring attention to corruption, political violence, and social ills.²

Thus, political cartoons act as a great visual primary source, allowing historians to view social and political critiques at the moment when the cartoon is created and published. Remember, primary sources are what provide the data and evidence to help historians discover and write history.

Political cartoons are also educational because the editorial cartoonist's goal is to get the viewer to think critically about the issue they are portraying in their cartoon. This is why political cartoons are a great educational tool in a history class. At the time, these cartoons were created to get people to think about current politicians, events, and social norms. Now, those cartoons allow viewers to look back in time. Sourcing the document and analyzing the critical satire in these cartoons allow a greater depth of history to be gleaned when studying a certain era, topic, or event.

For more information on what editorial cartoons are, check out "Editorial Cartoons: An Introduction" from Ohio State University. This resource is Copyrighted, which is why it is only linked and not redistributed.

Who Creates Editorial Cartoons?

People who regularly create and publish editorial cartoons are called editorial cartoonists. They usually adopt a caricature style of drawing.³

When Have Editorial Cartoons Been Created?

Satire, the driving literary device behind political cartoons, has been around for centuries. Although heavily contributed to the ancient Greeks and Romans, satire actually appeared in ancient Egyptian writing dating back to Old and Middle Kingdoms, with the publication of Satire of the Trades.⁴ The tradition of satirical literature, scripts, images, and similar creations continued throughout recorded history.

The late-1700s is when editorial cartoons caught on in popularity and began to utilize more well-known characteristics of contemporary cartoons, such as sharper critiques and caricature drawing techniques. Popular targets were King George III, French royalty, and Napoleon Bonaparte, which shows the trend of editorial cartoons increasingly and openly criticizing figures of higher authority and greater prominence.

Editorial cartoons evolved once again in 1830 when editorial cartoons began to be published in British magazines. In the 1840s, Punch magazine coined the term "cartoon," leading to the more popular usage of the “political cartoon.”⁸ Both the term and role of the magazine soon found itself in the United States by the mid-1800s.

As mentioned on the home page, British-American colonial history has one of the most well-known political cartoons in existence, with "Join, or Die." This tradition of making memorable and impactful editorial cartoons continued forth as the United States grew as a young-republic. Despite various setbacks and accomplishments in our history, editorial cartoons have documented this history without hesitation or bias. Even in the present, as the US finds itself increasingly coming to terms with its past and facing unknown challenges in the near future, editorial cartoons are right there to sharply criticize and satirize.

Where Are Editorial Cartoons found?

Editorial cartoons are typically found in the editorial or opinion section of periodicals. As children, if we found the cartoon in the sea of fine print, we were often confused as to where the other comics were. With the rise of the Internet, most local news and periodical companies have moved their editorial cartoons online. There are also online-only news media, like Politico, who offer a collection of political cartoons. Television news media outlets, such as CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, have their own online political cartoon collections. Be mindful the editorial cartoons from these media outlets, websites, and periodicals are protected by copyright.

Historical editorial cartoons, other than the ones on this site, can be found at the Library of Congress, Wikipedia, and Wikimedia Commons. Depending on when the historical cartoon was published, it may be in the public domain.

How Do I Make an Editorial Cartoon?

Editorial cartoons may appear easy to create based on their artwork; however, the artwork is not the most essential quality of an editorial cartoon. The message or idea the cartoon is making is the most important quality. What idea do you want to represent and satirize? What message do you want people to contemplate when viewing your cartoon? Answering these questions is the crucial first step in making a political cartoon!

Check out this Wiki on How To Make a Political Cartoon. (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Why Create an Editorial Cartoon and Why Does it Matter?

Creating an editorial cartoon not only enhances historical thinking and critical thinking skills, but it also represents a physical manifestation of democratic free thinking. Please see the "Why are Editorial Cartoons Important?" page for greater detail.