November 21, 2011, by Andrew Burden

New cartoons acquired

We have recently had the opportunity to acquire some cartoons or “political sketches” by “H.B”, the pseudonym used by painter and cartoonist John Doyle (1797-1868).  Doyle was born in Dublin, and attended the Royal Dublin Society’s drawing school, where he was a pupil of the miniature painter John Comerford. He became a successful painter of horses, and miniature portraits, but he is best known today for his political cartoons, which he produced for a period of over twenty years from 1827. Published once a month while Parliament was sitting, the sketches poked fun at the politicians of the day, frequently portraying them as characters in contemporary plays.  As a historical resource, the cartoons offer an intelligent and sardonic commentary on political events and personalities, and provide an unrivalled gallery of portraits, comprising all the men of political note from the late 1820s to the mid 1840s.

The University already has a significant number of the political sketches within its Special Collections, and these are used for both teaching and research in more than one discipline, so we are delighted to add these additional sketches to the collection.

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