Satirical Cartoons: A History - Martin Rowson

How do cartoons and visual satire operate?
This lecture will look at when humans first created art and at the dawn of satire.
Examining the work of Swift, Hogarth, Gillray, David Low and Ronald Searle, this lecture by celebrated cartoonist Martin Rowson will also examine the role cartoons play in giving offence. Covering the Danish Cartoons scandal and the Charlie Hebdo massacre, this talk will also look at Martin Rowson's own cartoon output over the past 40 years.
This lecture was recorded by Martin Rowson on 25th January 2024 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London
Martin is a multi-award winning cartoonist, writer, illustrator, ranter, performer and poet.
His work over the past 40 years has appeared in almost every publication you can think of apart from Private Eye and The Sun.
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The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
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[@nordicmind]

It is refreshing that someone communicates their lecture in a "spontaneous" and communicative way rather than reading it dryly from a transcript!

[@simonbode7356]

He is reading from notes on his iPad.

[@henric1991]

Well done Martin, lovely presentation!

[@gogfather6432]

Saw this live last week. Absolutely brilliant!

[@luck484]

This is fun and interesting. Cartoons are art. Art is a way to express a point of view that is not tolerable otherwise.

[@mitsunori222000]

Self promotion, interesting nonetheless.

[@MrDavey2010]

Exactly. I found it totally repulsive. Not the subject matter but the presenter.

[@josetrindade3550]

This is a great lecture!

[@transvestosaurus878]

He talks the way his cartoons look XD

[@sandyago4735]

11:50 We should be against the Geneva Convention.

[@nedludd7622]

This is only a history of satirical cartoons in Britain. There is a long history of them in France for example. The there is the US. In fact, countries around the world.

[@d.c.8828]

He does touch on French political cartoons a little bit while also covering American-related content, but considering he is quite obviously English, it would make sense for him to focus on the subject with which he is most familiar, no?

[@d.c.8828]

...Especially considering the setting in which this lecture takes place (Gresham College, London, England, U.K.).

[@calmeilles]

Martin's speaking of that which he knows. It's a restraint many others should be encouraged in.

[@ZeroTheHeroGOAT]

I agree, Boris Johnson isn't funny. Neither is this guy, though....

[@jonr6680]

Clickbait title, a HISTORY?? This is nothing more than an ego-maniac given the floor to exhibit his own smart-a$$ery. Deeply uncomfortable watching self-justification and teflon shoulders, trying to seem morally superior and at the same time not culpable. While blaming everyone else for their attitudes. What a piece of work. But I guess he gets paid either way. Is there also a book out?

[@squareinsquare2078]

He gets paid more than you. And, of course, he's made his place in history, something you and I will never do.

[@jasongray4517]

Typical satirist: Merchant Taylors School and Cambridge University. A posh radical who affects to despise the establishment that he's very much a part of.

[@richjohnston]

All cartoonists are ego maniacs. At least he is smart.

[@MarvinMonroe]

I am VERY OFFENDED it's 2024 and this is NOT OKAY

[@jonathonjubb6626]

Not sure if anybody cares....

[@batrachian149]

bait

[@markgould9322]

Put your call to action right at the beginning of the video or the end a little bit in is just annoying, distracting and shows a level of disrespect to both your audience and the lecture you've just interrupted.

[@MrDavey2010]

I thought initially that this was going to be excellent but was disappointed mightily quickly. The speaker lost me as his manner of delivery was so aggressively arrogant. His language is so unpleasant too.

[@richjohnston]

Saw this in the flesh, very happy to revisit.

[@maxheadrom3088]

I'm on minute seven and this lecture is already wonderful!

[@gw7120]

Please can someone do timestamps on the videos ! For topics within the talk it would be nice.

[@araucariapasquale1]

How impossibly garrulous. It is so distracting for those of us who do not lose interest if information is simply communicated, not performed to within an inch of its life.

[@d.c.8828]

Splendid presentation and historical lesson!

[@carstenf279]

57:40 I beg to differ. There are no empoverished immigrants in Denmark (When comparing to UK) In fact - an unemployed Danish immigrant does a lot better than an empoverished UK immigrant with two jobs.

[@joejohnson6327]

Danish Muslims don't live in dire poverty. 🙄

[@jonathonjubb6626]

So, nothing much has changed since Walpole then... And does Tory come from Pirate?

[@aarondavis8943]

I believe _tory_ is an old Gaelic word for "cattle thieves".

[@someoneelse293]

The" dust heaps" are from "our mutual friend" not "dombey and son"

[@briandempsey5749]

I'm actually too busy ... well, so am I

[@roycspary8923]

you got hit by a politician for a cartoon? OK in my mind that explains why Dahl [who I know well owning some of his books] saw you as an equal and getting hit proves just how well observed your cartoon was bravo. welcome to my personal pantheon of heros.

[@ThomasBoyd-yf5wm]

Awesome. Brilliant lecturer British history politics global audience in USA New York city and Europe reat of the Word

[@jasongray4517]

Ah, the fella who's fond of antisemitic tropes.

[@nedludd7622]

Ah, the guy who finds "antisemitism" everywhere.

[@jasongray4517]

@@nedludd7622 Mainly in the Guardian, for which Rowson apologised. Posh radicals are often blissfully unaware of their own antisemitism. Remind you of anyone?

[@richjohnston]

@@jasongray4517 so "fond" is probably wrong. He talks about that incident here.

[@cliveb9771]

@@richjohnstoncalling it an “incident” is very euphemistic. He drew an antisemitic cartoon. He issued a grovelling apology for it. The newspaper withdrew it and apologised. You can easily look at it online, it’s absolutely unarguably antisemitic.

[@jasongray4517]

@@cliveb9771 It is unquestionably antisemitic, as have been many of Steve Bell's cartoons. The Guardian has a taste for antisemitism, despite its claims to the contrary.