Cartoons

WARTIME PATRIOTIC COVERS: A FORM of ADVERTISING COVER [U.S.A.]

A series of World War II patriotic covers became available from the same artist or distributor on E-Bay after I found this one posted from Australia. It has a prominent Mussolini (not requiring the ‘MUSSO’ on the sleeve for identification) consulting a book on ‘HOW TO FIGHT’. He is sporting a black-eye and one arm is in a sling and he is saying “IT’S ALLA GREEK TO ME!” This was

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AN UNUSUAL WW I POSTCARD to a SOLDIER in EGYPT

This home-made postcard was made from cut-outs of red Australian KGV heads and postage due stamps pasted to the front of a blank “Graphic’ post card that was sent, presumably under cover (as there were no stamps for postage nor postmarks), to an Australian soldier in Egypt on leave from fighting at Gallipoli in Turkey. The design was drawn in black ink, but the red and green colour was filled

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ILLUSTRATED COVERS to Pfc. GERALD O. KEATING, S.A.A.A.B. [U.S.A.]

Two letters to Private first class Gerald O. Keating, both illustrated by the same artist and sent by Mrs J. Keating from Brisbane appeared on eBay the same day. The first had a roller postmark with a boxed BRISBANE/ QLAND/ 2 23 JAN 2/ 1945/ POSTED IN/ PILLARS as well as a boxed 1/ PASSED/ BY/ CENSOR/ 164. The blue 3½d KGVI stamp was applied, and the most obvious finding

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ALBERT HENRY FULLWOOD (1863-1930), ARTIST

This illustrated cover has two N.S.W. lilac 1d ‘View of Sydney’ stamps, postmarked with the duplex SYDNEY/ AP 4/ 11-AM/ 95/ 32 with the N.S.W obliterator. It is addressed to Mrs Bradford, “Hillside”, Lower Sandy Bay, Hobart. The cover shows a black ink sketch of a man peering through a telescope, steps, and a sailing boat with 4 men watching the scene (Figure 1). The reverse has s a LOWER

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F.A. PACKER, HOUSE of ASSEMBLY, HOBART (1839-1902)

This illustrated humorous cover was addressed to F.A. PACKER ESQ, House of Assembly, and was stamped with the 1d sideface which was postmarked with a duplex HOBART/ SE 24/ (18)82. The illustration is quite complex and the key figure is a large plump screaming baby, associated with a basin of boiling water, a candle stick, a book of sketches with one sketch lying on the ground, and the fleeing legs

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S.S. STEWART PHILADELPHIA BANJO MAKER EXTRAORDINAIRE [USA]

This remarkable illustrated cover has 2 x 1d plus ½d Tasmanian stamps with Hobart, Tasmania duplex cancels with a printed drawing of a washerwoman standing on a rug, holding a large letter and a mop and bucket. The letter is addressed to Mr. S.S. Stewart, Banjo Manufactory, Church Street, Philadelphia, U.S.A. The reverse is backstamped Philadelphia 1897 (Figure 1). The sender is not identified but the addressee is of considerable

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JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN (1836-1914) & TARIFF REFORM [ENGLAND]

When I first considered this paper in 2003, I gave it the title of “Donkey/Mule and Teddy/ Joey”, for I could not differentiate whether the kicking quadriped was a donkey or a mule and whether it represented a monocled Teddy Roosevelt or Joey Chamberlain. Additional research confirmed that Joseph Chamberlain was the subject of this cartoon postcard, which was probably of English manufacture. The postcard has a central kicking quadriped

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GEORGE SHIRLEY PENNEFATHER, LAUNCESTON CRICKETER

This 1890’s front only from N.S.W. (barred numeral for town and date not legible) with the blue 2d QV stamp was sent to G. Shirley Pennefather Esq., Commercial Bank, Launceston Tasmania via Melbourne. The vendor stated that the cover had “amusing hand drawn illustrations involving conversations between the Spider and Fly” and that all surviving items from this correspondence are fronts only. He also stressed that “illustrated items from New

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FRANK COLE MADDEN F.R.C.S., from GREAT ORMOND STREET to CAIRO

Four covers, with illustrated fronts and reverses, were found at an auction site, and all four were sent from Melbourne to London, between March 1897 and May 1898. Only the first cover was sent to a private address of 4 Endsleigh Gardens London N.W., whereas the other three were addressed to the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, London W.C. Whereas the first two covers gave no clue as

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CHARLES DANA GIBSON, ILLUSTRATOR, 1868-1944 [USA]

The pen-and-ink drawings of illustrator Charles Gibson came to represent the spirit of the early twentieth century in America. His illustrations appeared in a number of popular magazines and they both influenced and reflected attitudes, behaviours and mores in the country. The onset of the First World War was said to have ended the public’s romance with Gibson’s images, for the collective outlook changed from confident optimism to reserved cynicism;

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