Special feature: extracting geography from cartoons in a war context

Abstract

This paper reports on the initial stages of research that is investigating the geographical content of cartoons from the First World War, and particularly those cartoons that relate to the Gallipoli campaign of April 1915 – January 1916. Cartoons from this period are being investigated to ascertain their potential value as alternative, more personal, sources of information about the perceptions of the geography of the Gallipoli Peninsula of soldiers in the field, their commanders, politicians and the media. The cartoon differs from the map in that it is a non-traditional representational artefact, which disassociates the source of information from the actual display of that information. On the other hand, the map benefits from a design, development, fabrication and consumption process that has enabled them to be used effectively and efficiently. In this way, maps have traditionally provided information about space but we can argue that with cartoons and other non-traditional artefacts, information about ‘PLACE’ as well as ‘SPACE’ can be visualised.

Keywords::

• geography
• cartoons
• World War I
• Gallipoli

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Beyazit State Library, Istanbul, the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, the British Library, London, and the Hocken Library, Dunedin, for the archive source of many of the cartoons.