British Cartoon Archive

The British Cartoon Archive (BCA) is a department of the University of Kent in Canterbury, England, that holds the national collection of political and social-comment cartoons from British newspapers and magazines. Founded in 1973, it has grown to become the largest archive of British cartoon artwork, housing over 130,000 original drawings by more than 350 cartoonists alongside 90,000 cuttings and extensive library holdings. The archive's website provides free public access to a fully searchable catalogue of 200,000 cartoon images, making it an essential resource for researchers, historians, and the general public interested in British visual culture and political history.

The formation of an academic study centre dedicated to political and social cartoons was first discussed at the University of Kent in 1972, inspired by a successful exhibition entitled "Drawn and Quartered" at the National Portrait Gallery two years earlier. Dr Graham Thomas, a lecturer in the university's Department of Politics, contacted national newspapers and found them eager to dispose of their cartoon collections. The first deposit arrived from Fleet Street in 1973: three and a quarter tons of material comprising 20,000 original drawings. In November 1973, the University formally established the "Centre for the Study of Cartoons and Caricature," which was formally opened in 1975. The collection grew rapidly, reaching 70,000 original drawings by 1983 and 130,000 by 2009. The BCA began developing a computer catalogue in 1988, added digital images from 1990, released 18,000 catalogued cartoons on CD-ROM in 1996, and made 30,000 images available through its website by 1999. The catalogue now contains over 200,000 images, with variant versions of cartoons showing original artwork, printing plate pulls, and published newsprint versions.

The BCA collection encompasses artwork for over 200,000 British editorial, socio-political, and pocket cartoons, supported by large collections of comic strips, newspaper cuttings, books, and magazines. The material dates from the 19th century to the present day and includes work by over 300 artists. The online catalogue contains over 150,000 cartoons either held at the BCA or by other institutions, often showing various versions from sketch to artwork to published versions, with subject terms and identification of depicted people. The collections are organised into four main types of material, complemented by archival collections containing personal papers, correspondence, and objects such as the Carl Giles Trust Archive. Contemporary politics is strongly represented throughout, and the collections serve research in social history, political history, art and design, popular culture, visual storytelling, and media studies. Material continues to be accreted to the archive.

The archive includes significant collections of work by major British cartoonists. Early acquisitions included work by Will Dyson, Ronald 'NEB' Niebour, Arthur Ferrier, Wally 'Trog' Fawkes, and Reg Smythe. Among the more than 300 artists represented are Carl Giles, W.K. Haselden, David Low, and Nicholas Garland. The archive's depth allows researchers to trace the development of individual cartoons through multiple stages, from preliminary sketches to finished artwork to final printed versions.

The British Cartoon Archive is located in the Templeman Library at the University of Kent's Canterbury campus. Within the library, the archive maintains the Templeman Gallery, a public exhibit gallery that is freely open without appointment during library hours.

The BCA is a department of the University of Kent and is situated in Canterbury, Kent, England. Researchers can make appointments to consult collections by emailing specialcollections@kent.ac.uk. Many items have been digitised and are available to view online through the BCA's online catalogue at archive.cartoons.ac.uk. Books from the BCA library are listed on the University's LibrarySearch catalogue and can be requested for consultation. The Templeman Gallery, located within the Templeman Library, offers free public access during library hours without appointment, with exhibition information available through the Templeman Exhibitions blog.