Political CartoonsPSML-50

Ben Franklin’s “Join or Die” Cartoon Thomas Nast’s Boss Tweed Cartoons

History

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” Techniques:

- Caricature- Stereotyping- Symbols- Satire- Labels- Exaggeration

What makes them work?

Distorting a person’s features, but still keeping the person recognizable.

Caricature

Showing all persons of one group as looking or acting the same.

Stereotyping

Satire and Exaggeration

Satire: pointing something wrong and ridiculing it. Exaggeration:

portraying it as “bigger than life.”

Using a sign or object to stand for something else.

Symbols

Using written words to identify figures/ideas in a cartoon.

Labels

Why can political cartoons be more effective than an editorial?