ARMENIAN (Hamidian) MASSACRES - Rare 1895 British Political Cartoon

Description: Source: British PUNCH humor/satire magazine, December 21, 1895, original leaf, pulled from the magazine, not a modern reproduction. Illustrated by John Tenniel. Size 8 1/2 x 11" (approximately) Condition: excellent -- bright and clean page, which has also been humidified and flattened for best appearance and for framing; the backside is blank. ARMENIA'S APPEALArmenia (bitterly) "Guardianships! But--will none of you draw the sword to save ME!""Armenia is at her last gasp. The work of extermination continues...In the name of humanity and Christianity, save us." --Vide telegram in Westminster Gazette," December 12.BACKGROUND:+ The telegraph spread news of the massacres around the world, leading to significant coverage in the media of Western Europe and North America.+ AMBIGUITIES OF EMPIRE by Leslie Rogne Schumacher: “…as Punch shows, imperial interests were woven together with foreign policy, and often it was important for the British Empire to appear to be leading the world morally rather than territorially. And despite high hopes from pro-Armenian Britons… they became more and more frustrated as massacres continued throughout the autumn and early winter of 1895, amid a perceived lack of government action. Indeed, the crusader theme was inverted in a December cartoon, ‘Armenia’s Appeal’ in which Armenia calls on the ﬁve Great Powers, standing impassively in crusader guise, to draw their swords for her “+ The Hamidian massacres, also referred to as the Armenian Massacres of 1894–1896 and Armenian genocide, were massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire that took place in the mid-1890s. It was estimated casualties ranged from 80,000 to 300,000, resulting in 50,000 orphaned children. The massacres are named after Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who, in his efforts to maintain the imperial domain of the collapsing Ottoman Empire, reasserted Pan-Islamism as a state ideology. Although the massacres were aimed mainly at the Armenians, they turned into indiscriminate anti-Christian pogroms in some cases, such as the Diyarbekir massacre, where, at least according to one contemporary source, up to 25,000 Assyrians were also killed.+ The Ottomans made no allowances for the victims' age or gender, and massacred all with brutal force. This occurred at a time when the telegraph could spread news around the world, and the massacres received extensive coverage in the media of Western Europe and North America. + The origins of the hostility toward Armenians lay in the increasingly precarious position in which the Ottoman Empire found itself in the last quarter of the 19th century. The end of Ottoman dominion over the Balkans was ushered in by an era of European nationalism and an insistence on self-determination by many territories long held under Ottoman rule. The Armenians of the empire, who were long considered second-class citizens, had begun in the mid-1860s and early 1870s to ask for civil reforms and better treatment from government. They pressed for an end to the usurpation of land, "the looting and murder in Armenian towns by Kurds and Circassians, improprieties during tax collection, criminal behavior by government officials and the refusal to accept Christians as witnesses in trial." These requests went unheeded by the central government. When a nascent form of nationalism spread among the Armenians of Anatolia, including demands for equal rights and a push for autonomy, the Ottoman leadership believed that the empire's Islamic character and even its very existence were threatened.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Over 5,000 Punch cartoons listed for sale (store category "Punch cartoons") -- humor, satire and propaganda; combine orders and save shipping charges. Questions are always welcome. If buying more than one, please use 'Add to Basket' instead of 'Buy now' then hit "send total" so I can adjust the invoice for shipping. WHAT IS PUNCH? Punch, a magazine of humor and satire, ran from 1841-2002. A very British institution renowned internationally for its wit and irreverence, it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration. Punch was the world's most celebrated magazine of wit and satire. From its early years as a campaigner for social justice to its transformation into national icon, Punch played a central role in the formation of British identity -- and how the rest of the world saw the British nation. In its formative years Punch combined humors, illustration and political debate with a fresh and radical audacity. During its heyday in the late 1800s, it reflected the conservative views of the growing middle-classes and copies of it could be found in the libraries of diplomats, cabinet ministers and even royalty. In the Western world, Punch played a significant role in the development of satire. In the world of illustration, it practically revolutionized it. Over the decades as it charted the interests, concerns and frustrations of the country and today it stands as an invaluable source of cartoon art, satire, but as primary source material for historians.WHO IS THE ARTIST:Sir John Tenniel (1820 –1914) was an English illustrator, graphic humorist and political cartoonist prominent in the second half of the 19th century. Tenniel is remembered mainly as the principal political cartoonist for Punch magazine for over 50 years and for his illustrations to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871).WHAT IS PUNCH? Punch, a magazine of humor and satire, ran from 1841-2002. A very British institution renowned internationally for its wit and irreverence, it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration. Punch was the world's most celebrated magazine of wit and satire. From its early years as a campaigner for social justice to its transformation into national icon, Punch played a central role in the formation of British identity -- and how the rest of the world saw the British nation. In its formative years Punch combined humors, illustration and political debate with a fresh and radical audacity. During its heyday in the late 1800s, it reflected the conservative views of the growing middle-classes and copies of it could be found in the libraries of diplomats, cabinet ministers and even royalty. In the Western world, Punch played a significant role in the development of satire. In the world of illustration, it practically revolutionized it. Over the decades as it charted the interests, concerns and frustrations of the country and today it stands as an invaluable source of cartoon art, satire, but as primary source material for historians.

Price: 29.95 USD

Location: Milton, Vermont

End Time: 2024-10-22T20:32:47.000Z

Shipping Cost: 6.95 USD