Monday Boer War Cartoon

R.C. Bowman was an American cartoonist who died tragically early at the age of 33 in 1903. He worked for the Minneapolis Tribune and made many cartoons on the subject of the Boer War.

In this one we get comment on the huge rising cost of the war. Joaeph Chamberlain loads another backbreaking package onto the back of John Bull, who is already bent double by the weight of the larger pack he is already carrying. The larger pack is labelled Original Boer War tax, and the second is labelled Additional Boer War Tax. Yet despite all this John Bull is smiling cheerfully and saying “Heavy, of course it’s heavy! But think of the glory!” Of course, the sign reminds readers that the cost of the war so far was $55 million dollars. Whichever way you look at it the Boer War was economically disastrous. The eventual cost was about £210 million – billions in today’s money.

Bow man’s work looks far more modern than the work of Tenniel, Sambourne, Furniss and Partridge. The character figures are more exaggerated and the use of shading is far less heavy. Despite his tragic early death, Bowman’s work pointed to the shape of things to come.