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J M Staniforth was perhaps the most important Welsh cartoonist of the War, producing a cartoon for practically every single wartime issue of the Western Mail, and producing work also for the News of the World. His work must therefore have been seen and enjoyed by millions of readers across Britain. Although a competent draftsman, his cartoons are frequently verbose, and are seldom calculated to raise a smile. Nevertheless, they offer an interesting insight into one man’s reaction to war news.

Born in Gloucester in 1863, Staniforth was the son of a master cutler who moved to Cardiff. After leaving school he was apprenticed to the Western Mail as a printer, but took evening classes in art. His talent for caricature was evidently spotted by the editor, Lascelles Carr, and from 1890 he became a regular contributor to the Western Mail, and later to its sister publication, the News of the World.

Staniforth described himself as a ‘black and white artist’, and as such he was the foremost in Wales: books of his cartoons were eagerly devoured by the reading public, who savoured his ‘hilarious’ character Dame Wales, dressed in her shawl and stove-pipe hat. From his house in Llanishen, Staniforth would daily issue his response to war news, including events such as the Battle of the Somme, threatened miners’ strikes, and news of German atrocities.

To modern eyes the heavy-handed design might lack wit and subtlety, but there is no doubt that at the time the cartoons were treasured as a timely response to some far from humorous situations.

Location: Former Western Mail Offices, St Mary Street, Cardiff, CF10 1FA
Image: Cartoon by J M Staniforth
Contributor: Professor Chris Williams

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