Tag Archives: History

Laughter in the Long Twentieth Century: David Low & Cartooning Fascism

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This blog post is written by Dr Amy Matthewson about her experience working on the Beaverbrook Engagement project and exhibition, funded by the Beaverbrook Foundation.

The Vision

It all began with a Call for Proposals from the British Cartoon Archive at the University of Kent. It was for a Visiting Scholar Grant from the Beaverbrook Foundation putting out a call for proposals to do an exhibition based on their cartoons that form part of the British Cartoon Archive’s collection.

Most of the Beaverbrook cartoons are available to view online and as I scrolled through, I was delighted to see that David Low formed a big part of the collection. Low is, arguably, one of the most celebrated political cartoonists of the 20th century and I have always wanted to take a closer look at his work. This grant, if successful, would give me the perfect opportunity to get to know Low, the cartoonist, as well as his work.

I proposed an exhibition exploring the use of humour during the interwar period in Britain. This was a time of uncertainty with a nation only just recovering from the horrors of the First World War, mass unemployment, global economic depression, and the rise of fascism. David Low’s cartoons would form the basis of the study.

The aim was to analyse the role of humour through satirical cartoons during a period of increased social and political tensions. How did Low’s cartoons function as a means of dissipating anxieties while simultaneously lampooning dictators’ and their fascist ideologies?

After waiting (with eager anticipation) for a few weeks, I had an interview and the proposal was a success! I was to spend the next few months researching and organising the exhibition, to be displayed at the Templeman Gallery at the University of Kent.

What is the Story?

Where to begin? I didn’t expect the David Low collection at the British Cartoon Archive to be so extensive and I found myself overwhelmed. Faced with a wealth of cartoons, personal correspondence, and books, the challenge was how to narrow the scope and select materials that will offer a cohesive narrative. What ‘story’ does this exhibition want to tell and how to tell it in a comprehensible way?

The first step was to immerse myself in the collection and I did this with great pleasure (I am a bit of a research geek…ok, a big research geek…). I spent a week going through the collection organising cartoons and correspondence into “Yes, Definitely,” “Maybe” and “No” categories. I didn’t manage to get through everything but felt satisfied with the dent I made in going through as much as I could.

Thankfully, this was not a solo venture. Karen Brayshaw, Special Collections and Archives Manager, and Clair Waller, Digital Archivist, offered valuable curatorial advice with extensive knowledge of their collection. There was also another Visiting Scholar, Dominic Janes, who brought another layer of support and encouragement as he worked through his own exhibition, a fascinating exploration of the LGBTQ+ community through the lens of cartoons. His exhibition was planned to run alongside mine.

Another key pillar to the project was three student interns, Isabel Walford, Freya Francis, and Freja Dixon, recruited through a competitive application process. Their involvement was central to the development and success of the project. And with this incredible team in place, I was well-supported.

When I got home and reviewed the pictures I took as a memory aid, a question kept coming up: What is the story here? Yes, there were many witty cartoons (one of my favourites is Hitler blown up as balloon with the caption, “All Blown up and Nowhere to go”) but I couldn’t simply have an exhibition of randomly compiled cartoons thrown up for viewers to decipher. Or could I?

David Low, All blown up and nowere [sic] to go, Evening Standard, 26 Jun 1933 [DL0741a]

I decided to have a Wall of Resistance as part of the exhibition – a blank wall covered with Low’s cartoons demonstrating his resistance to fascism. But is this enough of a story to tell for the exhibition?

Low… cartoons… fascism… satire… resistance… caricature… blown-up Hitler… so what? Again, the question: What is the story? As I sorted through the cartoons, a story started to fall into place. It’s simple – the cartoons themselves are the story. Far from being merely ‘funny pictures,’ they were sharp criticisms. Severe enough to irritate their satirical targets (Low’s cartoons were eventually banned in Nazi Germany as they annoyed Hitler), powerful enough to communicate complex messages, and effective enough to have editors scrambling to write to Low and ask him to tone things down in order to maintain peace in Europe.

Herein lies the story.

The Cartoon Museum

We planned a trip to Disneyland.

Well, not quite but for those who are enthusiastic about cartoons, the Cartoon Museum in London is as good as Disneyland. Karen arranged our outing to include a private tour led by Hannah Whyte, the Collections Curator, along with a lively discussion with Steve Marchant, the Learning Officer and Comic Art Curator.

However, as often happens, things did not go according to plan. There were severe delays on the train from Canterbury to London and so the student interns were not able to make their way to the museum. The day, however, was not completely lost. Dominic, Karen, Clair, and myself were able to go and we made the best of the situation by taking lots of pictures to share with the interns later.

The day ended the way all really good days end: with coffee and cake and a chance to share our thoughts and ideas. The project was really starting to take shape.

Photos of the Cartoon Museum in London.

 

Coming Together

The next few weeks were a blur of activity. With the framework of the exhibition in place, we turned our attention to translating our ideas into an engaging and coherent visitor experience. We needed to finalise the narrative boards – the storytelling foundation of the exhibition, as well as select and arrange the cartoons, objects, and supplementary materials in a way that would resonate with our audience.

There was much thought put into the narrative boards. Each board needed to draw out the historical and political contexts without losing the interest of the visitor. The boards needed to provide enough information without being too dense while also conveying complex ideas – the rise of fascism, the power of cartooning, the socio-political function of satire, as well as a reflection on what it is that makes people laugh (or makes people angry).

Panels from the exhibition

 

Isabel, Freya, and Freja played a crucial role in bringing the exhibition to life; Isabel’s keen eye worked to match images with key themes and narratives on the boards; Freya did research in selecting cartoons, interviews, and music for the listening pod; Freja dove into the archives, selecting books, objects, and other materials of visual interest to add to the exhibition.

Once the material was finalised, we sent everything to Clair for printing. Her technical expertise and familiarity with the Archives were invaluable. Clair meticulously checked every file, making sure everything was ready for installation.

And then… we waited.

Installation and Improvisation

While much of the groundwork had been done before the installation process, the final execution brought a set of challenges. The transition from concept to physical space required flexibility, creative problem-solving, and improvisation. Despite having detailed layouts and measurements, some of the materials did not fit quite where we had imagined, while other areas felt too sparse or too cramped.

There were empty frames waiting to be filled and hung; glass surfaces needed to be cleaned; books were queued for display; objects sat carefully arranged on trolleys; cartoon artwork was laid out across tables. And with every … “oh wouldn’t be great to have this over here…?” and “didn’t I see something that would be the perfect fit…?” there was running back and forth to the archives, deep in the basement (sorry Clair!).

Dominic and I worked closely on the sequencing of exhibits, paying attention to how the narrative would unfold for the visitor. We wanted to make sure our two exhibitions had a connecting thread. We moved shelves in cabinets around allowing for the materials to be better (and more clearly) displayed. Karen and Clair were right there to offer their expertise; Freja, Freya, and Isabel were a constant source of energy and support. They were everywhere: lifting, adjusting, dusting, and arranging and beyond their physical contributions, they offered ideas and suggested reconfigurations to improve the overall feel of the display cases.

Photos of the exhibtion being installed

 

With the exhibition complete, we then turned our attention on an afternoon workshop that invited two guest speakers: Dr. Harriet Earle, Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University and David Shenton, cartoonist specialising in queer comics. (details here: https://shorturl.at/fKcgZ)

This installation process was perhaps the best experience during my time with the British Cartoon Archive. While the research is always enjoyable, it tends to be a solitary pursuit whereas the installation process required cooperation and collaboration. This was an excellent example of what an exceptional and supportive group of people can do when working together.

The Story

Born in New Zealand in 1891, Low rose to prominence as an artist in Australia during his twenties and in 1919, he arrived in London to begin his career at The Star, a newspaper aligned with Liberal values. A committed Liberal himself, Low once described democracy, despite its flaws, as offering “the best blend of stability and dignity.” In 1924, media tycoon Lord Beaverbrook, invited Low to join his Conservative newspaper the Evening Standard. Low declined but when, four years later in 1927, Beaverbrook asked him again, Low agreed but with some reluctance. The decision drew sharp criticism and aware of these perceptions, Low insisted on maintaining editorial independence, a stance formalised in a contractual clause that distanced himself from the paper’s Conservative political view.


During the 1930s, Low waged a visual war against the rise of dictators’ and their fascist ideology. So much so, that in 1936, Percy Cudlipp, editor to the Evening Standard wrote to Low suggesting “that for the present [Low] avoid the dictators altogether” as was reluctant “to run what will seem to be a cartoonist’s campaign against the dictators.” About a year later in September 1937, Cudlipp wrote again:

You will see from the news that the state of Europe is extremely tense at the present time. That being so, I don’t want to publish anything in the “Evening Standard” which would add to the tension, or inflame tempers any more than they are already inflamed. There are people whose tempers are inflamed more by a cartoon than by any letterpress. So will you please, when you are planning your cartoons, bear in mind my anxiety on this score?

Did Low know the effects his cartoons were having? In May 1942, Low wrote:

Some American cartoonists draw H. [Hitler] and M. [Mussolini] as monsters of brutality eight feet high with big hairy arms covered with whiskers, hands dropping with blood, etc., I’m sure no one is more pleased at this then H. and M. themselves, for that is just the effect they have always striven, with all the arts of propaganda, to create among people just before they go out to defeat them.

That kind of thing no doubt had the effect of building up the idea that Hitler was too, too, too powerful to resist, and contributed to the beating down of the moral front. Personally, I know that the cartoons of mine that got under their skins most were those which made them look like damned fools…

Letter from Percy Cudlipp, editor to the Evening Standard, to David Low

Both the above citations highlight the power of seemingly simple ‘funny’ pictures. Cudlipp was genuinely concerned about the potential of political cartoons in disrupting the fragile peace in Europe. Low was aware of the effectiveness of his cartoons and took great pains to ensure his art was doing exactly what he intended it to do. And it was. The Nazis eventually banned Low’s cartoons in Germany, a move that only amplified his reputation. Empowered with the knowledge that he was hitting his target where it hurt most, Low continued his relentless visual assault on the dictators and their ideologies. Far from silly pictures, cartoons wield considerable power.

 

Laughter in the Long Twentieth Century is on display at the Templeman Gallery at the University of Kent – on now until early September 2025.

Laughter in the Long Twentieth Century – exhibition and event

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The British Cartoon Archive at the University of Kent invites you to join us for our workshop, entitled Laughter in the Long Twentieth Century that explores cartoons through the lens of fascism and queerness.

Date: 1 July 2025
Time: 1pm – 4pm
Location: Available both in person (University of Kent, Templeman Lecture Theatre) and online via MS Teams

This event will feature two guest speakers who will explore the ways in which cartoons have served as tools of resistance and reflection over the course of the long twentieth century.

  • Dr. Harriet Earle, Senior Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University. Her research  focuses on representations of conflict and trauma in visual culture, especially comics. Her work explores conflict and violence and how this helps to understand PTSD and trauma.
  • David Shenton, cartoonist, specializes in queer comics. Shenton is known for his work “Controlled Hysteria,” Stanley and The Mask of Mystery, and Phobia Phobia. His comic strips have been featured in the collections Strips Aids, No Straight Lines, and AARGH.

For those able to attend in person, there is a tour of the exhibition Laughter in the Twentieth Long Century after the workshop. The exhibition explores cartoons created in the long twentieth century with focus on the interwar period and the decades that followed. The exhibition explores the rise of fascism and the (in)visibility of LGBTQ+ people and communities since the 1960s through the lens of cartoons, highlighting how humour acted both as a powerful tool of social control but also of resistance and defiance in the face of oppression and uncertainty.

Please RSVP at  cartoons@kent.ac.uk 

Thank you to the Beaverbrook Foundation for providing the funds to make this event possible.

 

VE DAY 80

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Thursday 8th May 2025 – VE DAY 80.

VE Day (also known as Liberation Day, Victory Day, or Victory over Fascism Day) is celebrated across Europe with public holidays and national observances. It marks the 80th anniversary of the day of formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany’s unconditional surrender. In the UK, while it is not a public holiday, the day is marked with events happening across the nation, including street parties and community celebrations, military processions, and a service of remembrance at Westminster Abbey.

David Low, The nightmare passes, Evening Standard, 08 May 1945 (LSE1228a) ©Associated Newspapers Ltd

Wartime context

After almost 6 years of conflict, Adolf Hitler had taken his own life on 30 April 1945 during the battle of Berlin, in which the Red Army of the Soviet Union were gradually taking control of the city. Hitler’s successor, Reichspräsident Karl Dönitz, authorised and signed the German Instrument of Surrender in Berlin at 22:43 local time on 8th May 1945.

Sidney ‘George’ Strube, “His last territorial claim”, Daily Express, 02 May 1945. (GS0703) © Express Syndication Ltd

On issue of this surrender, celebrations erupted across the Western world, particularly in the UK, North America and the USSR. In London King George VI, his family, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Churchill continued to Westminster, where he addressed the nation saying “God Bless you all. This is our victory. In our long history, we have never seen a greater day than this.”

Listen to Churchill’s victory speech (YouTube link): Churchill’s victory speech and Red Arrows flypast – VE Day 75 (BBC)

However, this day was not a complete end to the conflict. The war against Japan was still underway with Chinese and American forces engaged in action. In July, American, British and Chinese governments continued to demand surrender from Japan, which they rejected.

David Low, “Baby play with nice ball?”, Evening Standard, 09 Aug 1945 (LSE1258) ©Associated Newspapers Ltd

In August 1945 the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Soviets declared war on Japan, invading Japanese-held Manchuria. These two events persuaded the Imperial Army leaders to accept the terms of surrender on 15th August 1945 (VJ Day).

Watch footage of the atomic bomb attack and its aftermath (YouTube link): Hiroshima: 75th anniversary of the atomic bomb (Telegraph) 

 

David Low, Interminable finale, Evening Standard, 14 Aug 1945 (DL2450) ©Associated Newspapers Ltd

Illingworth, Leslie Gilbert, ‘Isn’t your way out hara-kiri?’, Daily Mail, 13 Aug 1945 (ILW0958) ©Associated Newspapers Ltd.

 

VE Day, 8th May 1945

On the evening of 7th May 1945 an announcement was made via news flash that VE Day (8th May) would be a national holiday. People gathered throughout London to celebrate. In Trafalgar Square mass crowds gathered, making their way up the Mall to Buckingham Palace hoping to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family during one of their eight appearances on the famous balcony that day.

This letter in Punch, signed by ‘H.F.E’, gives a comical report on one man’s journey into London to celebrate on VE Day. It’s author, Humphry Francis Ellis, first appeared in Punch in 1933 and became it’s literary and deputy editor in 1949.

Punch, “Report on VE day”, May 16 1945, p412-3.

 

 

 

The dragon : a paper for the Buffs and men of Kent, 1945 (F22891600) ©University of Kent

The Dragon was a serial magazine created by the Royal East Kent Regiment of the Queen’s Own Buffs. It was published from 1886-1961. This edition from May 1945 features a statement from Major General Scarlett, writing on behalf of the Regiment about the end of the war. This edition also includes correspondence, notices of births marriages and deaths, notice of awards given to serving members (including the Military Cross and Military Medal), lists of Prisoners of War who have returned home, updates from ongoing campaigns in Italy and Burma, and some sporting updates.

 

 

Service of Thanksgiving – VE Day (BUFFS/WHI/HF)

In Westminster Abbey short services of ‘thanksgiving for victory’ were held every hour from 9am until 10pm, with an estimated 25,000 people attending.

 

This Order of Service was published by Cambridge University Press in 1945, and contains the preaching notes of a sermon to be given during the service. This version has been annotated in places by an unknown hand, including the insertion of an additional line after the Lords Prayer, remembering those still fighting in the War against Japan.In Whitehall, crowds awaited Prime Minister Winston Churchill who addressed them from the balcony of the Ministry of Health building. Others gathered outside the Houses of Parliament in Parliament Square, where Churchill’s address was played over loudspeaker.

NEB [Ronald Niebour], “Just one more for the old family album sir”, Daily Mail, 08 May 1945 (NEB0247) ©Associated Newspapers

See more about the days celebrations here: Imperial War Museum, What You Need To Know About VE Day.

Continuing conflict and life back home

Of course, there were some who were still serving across Europe and in the conflict in East Asia and the Pacific on 8th May 1945, and others who remained Prisoners of War or were yet to return home. Troops held their own celebrations across Europe, while others continued to fight. Soldiers remained abroad to support peacekeeping, liberation and other post-war activities. They helped communities find food and shelter, and continued to attempt to bring to justice to those guilty of war crimes.

Giles; Ronald Carl, “And now for England – and a basin full of post-war planning”, Sunday Express, 13 May 1945 (CG/2/5/1311 – GAP2056) ©Express Syndication Ltd

Carl Giles was a popular Daily Express cartoonist, first joining them in October 1943. In 1945 he was appointed as their war cartoonist with the 2nd Army, during which time he drew from the front lines. Giles witnessed both the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945, and the German surrender at Lüneburg Heath in May 1945. Speaking of the experience in 1992, Giles said, “Not a day or night goes by even now when I don’t think of Belsen”.

 

Carl Giles, The Giles VE-Day collection : cartoons from the Daily Express, 1995 (F18096600)

This book contains many of the cartoons he drew for the Daily Express during the war, alongside the front covers of that day. The back cover of the volume includes part of the front page from VE Day.

Those who did eventually return home had to find a way to adjust back to civilian life, facing the many challenges that might bring.

Joseph Lee, Window Cleaners / “Come now, ex-Sergeant Leathers, war-time soldier, civilian window-cleaner…. brace yourself! Face your future like a man!”, Evening News, 12 Jul 1945 (JL3093) ©Associated Newspapers Ltd.

Pages from ‘Every day a bonus’, Ken Clarke, 1999 (F22880600 – Buffs collection) ©Ken Clarke

Ken Clarke was a soldier in the British Expeditionary Force during WWII, serving from September 1939 in France. He was taken prisoner during the retreat to Dunkirk in 1940 and put into Stalag XXI-A, a German Army prisoner-of-war camp located in Ostrzeszów in German-occupied Poland . He spent five years in Poland and East Prussia as POW NO. 1001. He was one of the  many POWs who were forced to march westward from Poland, leaving on 19th February 1945, an event now referred to by many as “The March”. He and his fellow soldiers were liberated by American soldiers on 2nd May 1945 while in Dümmerstück,. He returned to England in a Lancaster bomber on 9th May, 1945.

In these images we  can see:

  • A copy of Clarke’s POW ID card
  • A map of the “long march”
  • Extracts from his manuscript about events that happened on and around VE Day.

Pages from ‘Every day a bonus’, Ken Clarke, 1999 (F22880600 – Buffs collection) ©Ken Clarke

Telling Our Tales: Compassion through Story-telling

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Join us for a series of workshops and talks in May and June 2023 that explore how we tell stories of migration and movement. Our series of events includes creative and art workshops, talks providing insights into refugee stories and practical consideration of how to ensure refugee stories are preserved and remembered.  

This series follows our June 2022 exhibition – Reflections on the Great British Fish and Chips – where a volunteer research group selected items for display from Special Collections and Archives that explored themes of migration, movement and global food production. This display of original items accompanied an exhibition created by reportage artist Olivier Kugler, and writer Andrew Humphreys, which revealed everyday stories of migration through illustrating the lives and experiences of fish and chip shop owners across Kent.    

Bookings for each event can be made by emailing specialcollections@kent.ac.uk  

We look forward to welcoming you at one or more of this events series – to share stories and experiences and build understanding and compassion in relation to migration and movement of people across the world.  

Wednesday 24th May 2023: 12.30pm  

Photography in protracted displacement as a tool of activism: Basma El Doukhi in conversation with Rania Saadallah (Stateless refugee and photographer)  

Portrait image of Rania Saadallah showing her holding her phone taking a selfie, wearing a bag on her front and wearing a face mask

Rania Saadallah, stateless refugee and photographer

An exciting launch event for the Telling our Tales series of activities, following our Reflections on the Great British Fish and Chips exhibition events in 2022.  

Join us for a discussion about Rania’s work in the Reflections on the Great British Fish and Chips exhibition and her work in the Palestinian camps of Lebanon. This will include her personal journey as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee who is using photography as a tool to share and tell tales about Palestinian refugees, mainly women, in the camps of Lebanon. Rania will describe how this tool helped her to challenge the status quo and narratives about refugees within the camps and outside them.  

The conversation will be followed by a Q&A and a session for reflection on the way forward.  

This is a hybrid event which can you join in person or remotely. The event is open and free for all to attend. Rania will be speaking to us from Lebanon. The talk will be shown on a screen in the Templeman Library – room D G 02 – near the Nexus area. 

Please email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book/register your place, or request to join the talk remotely.  

About Rania: 

Rania Saadallah is a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee who uses photography as a tool to share and tell tales about Palestinian refugees, mainly women, in the camps of Lebanon. Rania says: “Five years ago, I started her story in the world of photography. When it was enough to make me know people more, their pain and joy, in addition to creating a kind of love for people’s faces more. Despite this time, until this moment, every photography experience creates a state of fear and anxiety, as if it was the first time I was photographing. I moved between filming workshops, stories from the camps, exhibitions, and many stories that took a part of my soul.”

About Basma:  

Basma El Douhki is a PhD Researcher in Migration Studies with the Global Challenges Doctoral Centre (GCDC) at the University of Kent. For many years Basma has been active in humanitarian and development work with refugees and asylum seekers within UNHCR, UNRWA and international NGOs in Lebanon and Syria. Basma’s own lived experience as a refugee, and her post-graduate studies in Emergency and Development Studies, have influenced her work exploring the nature of refugee-led organisations and the factors conditioning their impact and interventions.  

Portrait image of Basma El Doukhi - wearing a black headscarf and a black, red, white and gold decorated dress

Basma El Doukhi – PhD researcher in the Global Challenges Doctoral Centre (University of Kent)

 

Wednesday 24th May 2023: 2.30pm  

Visual Story-telling with Adïam Yemane  

Portrait image of Adiam Yemane, facing to the right of the image with eyes closed wearing an earing and a beaded necklace

Adiam Yemane, Ethiopian Eritrean visual artist and storyteller

This workshop is led by Adïam Yemane, an Ethiopian Eritrean visual artist and travelling storyteller, with a focus on social justice and community development. 

Adïam will lead a workshop taking participants on a short journey on how stories are told visually and how we can naturally weave these disciplines into our daily lives. During the workshop, Adïam will present her work and the work of other Visual Artists, encouraging wider group discussions and more intimate smaller group discussions.  

Each participant is invited to bring a photograph for a group exercise. This could be a personal story or something you have seen before that tells the story of migration, which you like and are happy to share with the group.  

About Adïam:  

Adïam works as a freelance Portrait and research photographer focusing on social justice and community development. Longing for consistent change and and movement inspires her to travel and document the world. World peace and sustainability are Adïam’s main focus. Through art, Adïam expresses heartfelt stories from around the world that facilitate the viewer with a greater understanding. 

The workshop will take place in the Templeman Library – Room D G 02 – near the Nexus area. 

Please email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book/register your place.  

 

Wednesday 7th June 2023: 1.30pm 

Creative Expressions of Migration and Movement with Maryam Sandjari Hashemi 

Portrait image of Maryam Hashemi in the centre of the image looking upwards to the right wearing a colourful striped top and a blue scarf, with a background of a purple sky and golden moon framed by red, blue and white tree like imagery

Maryam Sandjari Hashemi, Multidisciplinary Artist and Spiritual Coach. (Image copyright: Danial Emani)

London based Iranian artist, Maryam Sandjari Hashemi, will deliver this creative workshop, sharing her artwork and her journey as a migrant artist with participants. Maryam’s work brings past and present together reflecting her personal journey from Iran to the UK and aspects of both cultures.  

Participants are invited to bring an object and share its story with the group, and will be actively creating artwork using drawing, collage and other techniques. No previous experience of creating art is required for this workshop, just some along and have fun.  

About Maryam:  

Maryam Sandjari Hashemi is a Multidisciplinary Artist and a Spiritual Coach. Her art practice includes Visual Art, Performance and Textile rooted in her upbringing in Iran and inspired by her colourful everyday life. Her paintings have been telling the story of her life journey and she has been exploring different themes such as identity and inner ecology. Most of her works are dense with information and imagery that communicates with viewers subconscious mind often acting like portals that could take viewers on a deep psychedelic journey.  

Maryam has run many community art workshops for diverse groups especially migrants and refugees focussing on creating a playful atmosphere where participants could feel safe to express themselves and empowered to explore different artistic techniques. Her workshops are accessible and suitable for all artistic abilities and she especially encourages participants with little or no experience in creating art.  

The workshop will take place in the Templeman Library – Room D G 02 – near the Nexus area. 

Please email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book/register your place. 

 

Wednesday 14th June 2023: 1pm  

Archiving Stories of Migration: Paul Dudman and Beth Astridge 

Portrait head and shoulder image of Paul Dudman, wearing a shirt and glasses and looking towards the camera

Paul Dudman, Archivist, University of East London

This thought-provoking workshop will be delivered by Paul Dudman, Archivist at the University of East London where he is responsible for the Refugee Council Archive, and Beth Astridge, University Archivist at the University of Kent. The workshop will explore examples of how stories of migration and movement can be reflected in archive collections and some of the challenges in capturing the life experiences of refugees in the archive record.  

Paul and Beth will provide a range of examples from archive collections for participants to view and encourage group discussion about the stories that these different archives tell. Groups will then be encouraged to consider the challenges and ethics of recording stories and experiences of migration and movement using scenarios and examples in the collections at the University of East London.  

The workshop will take place in the Templeman Library – Room A 1 08 – next to the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room and offices. Please email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book/register your place. 

About Paul:  

Paul Dudman is the Archivist at the University of East London Archives whose collections include the Refugee Council Archive. Paul’s research interests are focussed on refugee history and the role of archives in documenting and preserving the personal narratives and life histories of migration.  

Paul is the Editor for the journal Displaced Voices: A Journal of Archives, Migration and Cultural Heritage, hosted on the Living Refugee Archive online portal, and is a co-convenor of the IASFM (International Association for the Study of Forced Migration) Working Group for the Archiving and Documentation of the History of Forced Migration.

About Beth:  

Beth Astridge is the University Archivist in Special Collections and Archives at the University of Kent. In May/June 2022 Beth collaborated with Basma El Doukhi to deliver a co-curated exhibition – Reflections on the Great British Fish and Chips, where volunteers explored the University Special Collections and Archives for items relating to the theme of migration, movement and global food production.  

Head and shoulders image of Beth Astridge looking at the camera wearing glasses and a black top

Beth Astridge, University Archivist, University of Kent

 

Wednesday 21st June 2023: 2.00pm

Migrants, Fish and Chips, and Britishness: a talk by Professor Panikos Panayi, Professor of European History, De Montfort University   

Portrait image, head and shoulders, of Professor Panikos Panayi, looking directly at the camera and wearing a blue suit and tie with a bookcase in the background

Professor Panikos Panayi, Professor of European History, De Montfort University

Professor Panikos Panayi will deliver this mouth-watering talk on the history of Britain’s most popular take-away meals, and explore the role of migrant communities in the development of the fish and chip trade.  

Panikos was featured in the exhibition ‘The Great British Fish and Chips’ originally displayed at the Turner Contemporary, Margate and Canterbury Cathedral in June 2021. In June 2022, the University of Kent Special Collections and Archives hosted a new viewing of the exhibition. This was exhibited alongside a co-curated display of original archives from the University’s collections, selected by a volunteer group of researchers, with a focus on migration, movement and global food production. Professor Panayi’s talk will provide an opportunity to see the original exhibition panels once again.    

The talk will take place in the Templeman Library – Room D G 02 – near the Nexus area. Please email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book/register your place. 

About Panikos:  

Professor Panikos Panayi is Professor of European History at De Montfort University. He has published widely and his research interests include the history of immigration and interethnic relations, the history of food, the First World War, German history, the history of London, and the history of the Cypriot people. 

Professor Panayi’s research into the history of Fish and Chips was published in 2014 as ‘Fish and Chips: A History’. In the book he unwraps the origins of fish and potato eating in Britain, and describes the meal’s creation during the 19th century. He also explores the connection with issues of class and identity and the extensive ethnic affiliations of the dish. Fried fish was widely consumed by immigrant Jews before spreading to the English working classes in the early nineteenth century, and by the 20th century other migrant communities such as Italians played a leading role in the fish-and-chip trade.   

Music in the Archives: A whistle-stop tour through our collections (part three)

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Welcome to the third and final part of our mini series exploring all things musical in Special Collections & Archives – just in time for Kent’s Summer Music Week! Today we’re stepping into the modern age with pantomime and stand-up comedy; what more could you want on this glorious Thursday?

Pantomime: celebrity, pop culture and the power of music in storytelling

Just as melodrama and popular Victorian entertainments use music in conjunction with other theatrical effects, so pantomime develops the use of music with visual storytelling even further. At Kent, our pantomime material can be found in the incredible David Drummond Pantomime Collection alongside lots of material in our previously mentioned Melville and Pettingell archives.

Programme for Drury Lane Theatre's 1899/1900 Pantomime 'Jack and the Beanstalk' with photograph of star Miss Mabel Nelson

Programme for Drury Lane Theatre’s 1899/1900 Pantomime ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ (David Drummond Pantomime Collection)

Pantomime’s links with music go all the way back to its origins in the 16th century ‘commedia dell’arte’ Italian entertainment with stock characters; when the stories initially began to appear on the British stage in the 18th century performances would have no speech at all – just music. (This was in part due to theatre licensing regulations restricting the use of speech in performances, overturned by the Theatres Act in 1843.) Fast forward to the 19th century and pantomime became an incredibly lavish affair for many theatres, particularly for London’s Drury Lane theatre which became known for its elaborate, expensive performances which lasted as long as five hours!

Cover for sheet music of 'Beauty and the Beast: A Chamber Opera' with five illustrations

Cover for sheet music of ‘Beauty and the Beast: A Chamber Opera’ (David Drummond Pantomime Collection)

Sheet music from 'Beauty and the Beast: A Chamber Opera'

Sheet music from ‘Beauty and the Beast: A Chamber Opera’ (David Drummond Pantomime Collection)

Music, of course, is one of the most consistently integral parts of the pantomime genre, from libretti (which you could often buy as a souvenir of the performance) to audience participation. Many songs used in pantomime are familiar to their audiences and often have lyrics rewritten for a particular show. Sometimes theatregoers are encouraged to sing along and participate, with the music helping to give pantomimes a very two-way performance between its stars and the audience.

Poster for the pantomime 'Sleeping Beauty' at the Manchester Palace theatre starring comedians Morecambe and Wise (David Drummond Pantomime Collection)

Poster for the pantomime ‘Sleeping Beauty’ at the Manchester Palace theatre starring comedians Morecambe and Wise (David Drummond Pantomime Collection)

Poster for the pantomime 'Aladdin' at the London Palladium theatre, starring Danny La Rue (David Drummond Pantomime Collection)

Poster for the pantomime ‘Aladdin’ at the London Palladium theatre, starring Danny La Rue (David Drummond Pantomime Collection)

Today, we generally associate pantomime with famous stars – but did you know this, too, has musical links? In the 19th century music hall stars began to join pantomime performances – partly to bring in new, younger audiences and partly to add some celebrity glamour to the show! This trend has continued through the 20th century and up to today, with debates about whether this ‘ruins’ pantomime ever-present.

The British Stand-Up Comedy Archive: the next evolution of music hall and challenges for archivists

We couldn’t finish a tour of all things musical without stopping in at the 20th/21st century wonder that is our British Stand-Up Comedy Archive (known as BSUCA for short because we all love an acronym). Created in 2015 and funded through the University’s Beacon projects to celebrate Kent’s 50th birthday, six years later BSUCA contains over 30 different collections and it’s still growing.

What’s particularly brilliant about BSUCA is that for an archive about what initially appears to be a fairly niche subject, it packs one heck of a research punch. Topics it covers include the history of performance, artists and venues, Thatcher’s Britain and the miner’s strike, protest, counter-culture, publishing, audience interaction, celebrity and much more. So – are you surprised that it’s also a great source for all things musical? You shouldn’t be!

Flyer advertising the Alternative Cabaret collective

Flyer advertising the Alternative Cabaret collective (Andy de la Tour Collection, BSUCA/AT/3)

Stand-up comedy as a genre has its roots in both popular performance and variety. Tony Allen’s stand-up comedy developed in part during his time with the Rough Theatre group, whose plays included rewritten gags from music hall shows. The Alternative Cabaret collective (which included Tony Allen, Alexei Sayle, Jim Barclay and Andy de la Tour) performed shows that lasted several hours and included musicians and comedians working together. The links between music hall and stand-up don’t end there: CAST New Variety, a left-wing theatre company founded by Roland and Claire Muldoon, was also responsible for helping to save the Hackney Empire music hall in late 1986 by using it for gigs.

Poster for CAST New Variety night entitled 'Reds under the bed', 1985 (

Poster for CAST New Variety night entitled ‘Reds under the bed’, 1985 (Linda Smith Collection, BSUCA/LS/3/1/1)

When the 1980s Comic Strip group began performing, academic Olly Double notes that several publications compared their gigs as doing to comedy what punk did for the music world (2020, pp.32 – 33). This comparison is further strengthened by the fact that they released an LP:

The Comic Strip poster, 1980

Poster, 1980. Originally a venue, The Comic Strip collective quickly embarked on a national tour, released an LP and produced TV series “The Comic Strip Presents…” (Arnold Brown Collection, BSUCA/AB/2/1)

All of this music inevitably leads us to questions about how we look after such material. Caring for music archives is a lot of fun but it can be tricky! Fortunately preserving most paper-based material such as song sheets and play scripts is a relatively straightforward process (acid free boxes + stable temperature and humidity = happy collections). However, audiovisual material (LPs, videos, CDs, cassette tapes) is generally incredibly sensitive to environmental changes not to mention the rapid development of technology that renders media obsolete relatively quickly. So for us, managing audiovisual material is one of our key priorities at the moment; it involves knowing what material we have and in which formats and then working to prioritise items most at risk. You can read more about how we transfer collections from audiovisual to digital here.

One thing is certain though: these days music is just a big a part of our culture as it’s ever been, whether we listen to the radio, stream music online, or enjoy it as part of live performance. And as long as it continues to be such a large influence on our lives, we’ll continue to collect material on how it’s used in popular culture!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this mini-series about music in Special Collections & Archives; do visit our website for more information on the collections and if you have any queries please drop us a line (specialcollections@kent.ac.uk).

Sources:

Pantomime:

Anderson, Gillian B. “Synchronized Music: The Influence of Pantomime on Moving Pictures.” Music and the Moving Image, vol. 8, no. 3, 2015, pp. 3–39. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/musimoviimag.8.3.0003. Accessed 7 June 2021.

Mitchell, G. (2017). ‘Mod Movement in Quality Street Clothes’: British Popular Music and Pantomime, 1955–75. New Theatre Quarterly, 33(3), 254-276. doi:10.1017/S0266464X17000306

‘The Story of Pantomime’ at the V&A Museum: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-story-of-pantomime

BSUCA:

Double, Oliver. Alternative Comedy : 1979 and the Reinvention of British Stand-Up, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/kentuk/detail.action?docID=6120964.