1854 - 1914

'War's result: Chinese slavery', 1906The Crimean War, 1854-1856, and the Second Boer War, 1899-1901, featured extensive use of cartoons and visual propaganda.

Crimean-related cartoons sought to highlight the danger of Russian expansionism and Britain's role in its containment by showing a large and menacing bear threatening its neighbours.

French view of Boer concentration campsThe Boer War was one of the first truly modern wars in its reporting in the media - film newsreels, photography and the engagement of the Army with the popular press.

Boer War art was often ambivalent, reflecting its complex politics - a mix of popular nationalism during episodes such as the Relief of the Siege of Mafeking in 1900, and anti-war sentiment that accompanied potentially damaging revelations such as reports of conditions in concentration camps set up by the British for Boer civilians.

Queen Victoria in hellPost-war public outrage was also directed at the working and living conditions of Chinese labourers, or coolies, employed by the British in the mines. The so-called Chinese slavery issue featured prominently in the January 1906 General Election campaign.

German, French and other continental artists were quick to exploit the war for propaganda purposes - reflecting its unpopularity with Britain's European neighbours, and depicting her in equal measure as a bully, or conversely depicting the vulnerability of the superpower in the face of often-successful guerrilla tactics.

Further information

For further information please contact us ›