It's Not That Long Ago

[poliphilo]

Back in the early '50s Malcolm Muggeridge (as editor of Punch) published a cartoon of Churchill (then prime minister) as a senile old man (which he was) with a caption politely suggesting it was about time he stepped down- and there was all hell to pay!

In the same era it was taboo to publish a caricature of the Queen. If you absolutely had to have her in your cartoon, it was allowable to show her from the back or with her face artfully concealed. I believe it was Gerald Scarfe in Private Eye who finally demolished that convention.

And of course cartoon representations of God and Jesus and other holy personages were absolutely unthinkable.

Comments

Have a piece of Loyal Toast?

[currawong.livejournal.com]

It certainly ain't the 50's any more. My all time favourite caricature of the Quer-ween was one by Martin Sharpe in "Oz" magazine ...it showed the Queen in the shower, lustily singing:
"God save their gracious ME,
Long live their noble ME,
God save ME,
Send ME victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over THEM,
God save ME!"
Fortunately, Royalists (though a little muddle-headed, at least here in Australia, dont seem to go around torching cartoonists ...but they did eventually try to gaol him.

Re: Have a piece of Loyal Toast?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've been known to get a little emotional on the subject of our Royal family.

It's my settled belief that the Bolsheviks had the right idea.

Re: Have a piece of Loyal Toast?

[currawong.livejournal.com]

"You may well think that ... I couldn't possibly comment"
It amazes me to think that there are still classes of persons, (and Britain, with her monarchy and aristo hangers-on is not alone in this) who fondly imagine that their great achievement, (being born), entitles them to be drones on society with an entitlement to defference from the hoi-polloi. Bah!