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An editorial cartoon of Andrew Johnson and Abraham Lincoln, 1865, entitled "The Rail Splitter At Work Repairing the Union." The caption reads (Johnson): Take it quietly Uncle Abe and I will draw it closer than ever. (Lincoln): A few more stitches Andy and the good old Union will be mended.

An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration or comic strip containing a political or social message, that usually relates to current events or personalities.

[edit] Modern political cartoons

Editorial cartoons can usually be found on the editorial page of most newspapers, although a few, like Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury are sometimes found on the regular comics page. A good collection of modern editorial cartoons can be found in each issue of magazines like the Humor Times and Funny Times. Recently, many radical or minority issue editorial cartoonists, who would previously have been obscure, have found large audiences on the internet. Cartoons can be very diverse, but there is a certain established style among most of them. Most use visual metaphors and caricatures to explain complicated political situations, and thus sum up a current event with a humorous or emotional picture. Often, their content includes stereotypical, biased and/or demonizing portrayals of people and events. In modern political cartooning two styles have begun to emerge. The traditional style, involving visual metaphors, symbols like Uncle Sam, the Democratic donkey and Republican elephant, and labels is described as the 'nast-y' style (named after Thomas Nast), and the more text heavy 'altie' style that tells a linear story, usually in comic strip format^{[original research?]}. Although their style, technique or viewpoints may differ, editorial cartoonists draw attention to important social and political issues. Political cartoons a are a great way for artists to express their thoughts in a comical way about a certain time.

[edit] See also

• Editorial cartoonist
• Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning
• List of editorial cartoonists
• Animated political cartoons
• Attitude: The New Subversive Cartoonists
• Center for the Study of Political Graphics
• Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
• 2007 Bangladesh cartoon controversy
• Graphics
• Join, or Die

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Editorial cartoons

• American Association of Editorial Cartoonists Political cartoons by the members of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists
• About.com: Political Cartoons Comprehensive guide to political editorial cartoons on the Web
• Using editorial cartoons in the classroom Sources, analysis, interpretation (mostly English with some German)
• Gettysburg College Civil War Era Digital Collection Contains over 300 Civil War Era political cartoons
• American Social History Online
• The Role of Puck's Cartoons in Gilded Age Politics from American Studies at the University of Virginia