Course Number: EN420K
Subject: English
Introduction
This guide accompanies an in-class workshop about searching digitized 19th century newspapers for political cartoons about the Irish.
Questions? Email the English & Film Studies Librarian: mefischer@wlu.ca
Here's an example of this kind of research in action: The Rise of Victorian Caricature (available online).
Here's an example of a digital humanities project using an online exhibition tool (Omeka) available through Laurier Library: Canadian Cold War Propaganda Posters.
Search Tips
Tip #1 Take Notes and Start Early
- Try using this Notes Template to track what you do and gather key information for your assignment. This kind of research takes time and concentration, but it's fun!
Tip #2 Use Simple Keywords
- Use as few terms as possible.
- Consider the language of the time.
- Try different term variations (vampire, bloodsucker, monster, devil, criminal).
- It can be tough to find cartoons by keyword, you often need to browse digitized publications.
Tip #3 Use Search Limits
- Search limits help control results. You can limit by:
- Document type (e.g. "editorial cartoon")
- Date range (e.g. 1800 - 1900) if needed
Where to Search
Digital Newspaper Collections
These collections have scanned and searchable images of newspapers and other periodical publications.
- 19th Century UK Periodicals
- Full-text scans of nearly 600 titles sourced from the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, and other specialist libraries. Dates of coverage: 1800-1900.
- C19: The Nineteenth Century Index
- Index to books, journals, magazines, official documents and newspapers. Dates of coverage: 1770-1919
- Illustrated London News
- The world's first fully illustrated weekly newspaper, The Illustrated London News, was first published on Saturday, May 14, 1842. Dates of coverage: 1842-2003.
- The Times Digital Archive
- The Times is considered an authoritative medium for political, legal, business and social news. Dates of coverage: 1875-2014.
- British Library Newspapers
- This digital archive includes 47 papers originating in England, Scotland, and Ireland, carefully selected by an editorial board from the British Library. Dates of coverage: 1800-1900.
Cartoon-Specific Collections
- Irish Home Rule Political Cartoons
- This digital collection consists of 19th century political cartoons addressing Irish political issues of the time.
- Punch, Search Cartoons
- Punch, a magazine of humour and satire, ran from 1841-2002.
- British Cartoon Archive
- Artwork in the British Cartoon Archive (BCA) dates from 19th century to the present day,
Citing in MLA Style - Template for Political Cartoons
Artist's Last Name, First Name. "Title or Description of Cartoon." Publication Title, date of publication day month year, URL. Accessed on date.