On the ground floor of the Cartoon Museum - a transformed former dairy - the cartoons are displayed chronologically, starting with the early eighteenth-century when high-society types back from the Grand Tour introduced the Italian practice of the caricatura to polite society. From Hogarth the displays move on to British cartooning's 'golden age' (1770-1830). 'Modern times' covers political wartime cartoons and social commentary produced between 1914 and 1961. The 'new satire' section – works published from 1961 onwards – includes Ralph Steadman, Steve Bell, Dave Brown, Matt and others. Downstairs the artists' names are immediately recognisable; upstairs – where comic strip art from 2000AD, the Dandy and the Beano is displayed – is much more about the characters portrayed: Rupert the Bear, Dan Dare, Judge Dredd et al. The excellent shop is recommended, as is the library where – by appointment – you can search the catalogue of some 3,000 books. Children's animation workshops are held during school holidays.
The cartoon museum is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. There are regular exhibitions which cost around £7 to view, or are free with the National Art Pass, and the shop is worth visiting in itself as you find yourself surrounded by all the comics and graphical novels that you could ask for. The only difficulty is leaving without buying 3 or 4 things!!
Having recently been bought a
National Art Pass, I have been visiting some of the lesser known museums in
London and this was one I stumbled upon after needing somewhere to spend a
couple of hours. This museum is very
cute and the set-up makes it ideal for those with young children - there are
multiple areas where you can draw your own cartoon with pencils and paper
provided. As a museum, it gives an
interesting insight into the history of cartoons and there are some great pieces
of art. I think some of the narrative is
too long and it’s too easy to lose interest before you get to the end - I would
suggest shortening and making the narrative more punchy. The gift shop is great!
A great museum with a huge variety of different Cartoons on display. When I visited there was an exhibition of Ronald Searle's work that included a huge number of never before seen originals and rough drafts that allowed me to see the development of his technique and style over the years. A treat for children of all ages. :)
Have always loved cartoons from The Beano and Dandy , through to Punch ,Private , The New Yorker and The Oldie. The particular fascination of The Cartoon Museum for me, is the opportunity to see original artwork , along with the corrections that you don't see with published work.
As a comic artist myself i have never found a venue that not only holds regular and exciting exhibitions and workshops geared specifically to the comic book fan BUT that alsonoffer practical hands on kids and adult workshops and holiday schemes which utilise the medium for both education both specifically within the comic book medium but also within a broader context that teaches childen and adults alike the skills of drawing, writing and the transference of these 2 skills into a visual narrative.
I went to the Cartoon Museum on a whim and it was worth a look. It is filled with cartoons of the British variety...Beano,Dandy,Viz all the stuff! It has an extensive and fascinating collection of art work and also looking into present day- I really like the Simon's Cat display. It is a tiny museum and can be digested in around an hour or there abouts but well worth a visit. A little gem for any animation/comic/cartoon fans- of which I am one. I was smitten with all the brill cuttings they had. They also had a political cartoon exhibition when I was there,really interesting, and not just about the 'fun' side of cartoonism.
The gift shop is brilliant and I could have done a lot of damage in there- animated Shakespeare,lovely special editions,pens,paper,etc!!!
If you are bombing around Bloomsbury and have a spare hour or have been to the British Museum and fancy a bit more museumness,pop round the corner and visit the cartoon Museum,worth giving it a gander.
