WARNING: Some of the below cartoons contain racist stereotypes and imagery.

We begin our March 1912 coverage of Cartoons Magazine‘s centennial year, with some of that month’s cartoons concentrating on International Affairs. I skipped these the first two months — and what is shown here are just some of the cartoons from March 1912 on this subject. Every issue of Cartoons Magazine was packed with international subjects, from both American and foreign perspectives.

The above & below reference the recent overthrowing of the Manchurian Dynasty, replaced by the first of several pre-Communist Chinese Republics, headed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Bringing — it was thought at the time — Democracy to China.

The above cover cartoon — The New Joss, by Robert Minor, Jr. — at first glance appears to be a highly racist “Yellow Peril”-theme cartoon. However, what is actually happening here, is that in this context, “Joss” refers Chinese household idols or deities. The intent of the cartoon is to show Liberty as the new Chinese god. (I still contend the depiction is stereotyped & racist, just not nearly as it would appear to be, without that info.)

Below, a Shanghai-published cartoon — but one by an ex-pat Westerner living in Shanghai, in a publication for fellow Western Colonialists in China.

Click on the above & below pictures, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their captions.

Next, the below page of cartoons, including those by “Bart” (Charles Bartholomew), and Luther Daniels Bradley, depict Columbia as “An Obtrusive Little Boy”, making threats to Uncle Sam, over Panama. The Panamanian Isthmus had originally been part of Columbia, which the U.S. separated into a new country, when it wasn’t getting the deal it wanted, regarding the Panama Canal.

Speaking of those colonialist Europeans, below are two pages depicting how well they got along…

…and cartoons involving Canada, Cuba, and the Chinese Republic, round out today’s set.

Doug Wheeler

Ole May Charles Lewis Bartholomew