TWELVE ORIGINAL EARLY SOUTH AFRICAN POLITICAL CARTOONS BY W.H. SCHRÖDER

A collection of 12 original South African political cartoons executed in pencil by the important early cartoonist William Howard Schroder. All done on lightweight paper of approximately the same size (circa 30x22cms.). Images of each drawing are provided herewith. Most of these were probably created in the 1880's or thereabouts. This is a second tranche of Schroder cartoons that I have listed on Antiquarian Auctions.  A similar lot (12 different drawings) was sold on Auction 85 in September 2020.

The condition of this lot is generally about good. The drawings appear to have been removed from sketch books. Some of the pages have frayed edges, short edge tears and some have small chips. Two of the works have strips of browning from irregular exposure to light. 

William Howard Schroder (1851 - 1892) was South Africa's first full-time cartoonist in addition to being a prominent artist and a pioneer of self-publishing in South Africa. He published a weekly periodical called The Knobkerrie in the Cape Colony between 1884 and 1886. During his career he did cartoons for The Zingari, The Lantern, Transvaal Truth, The Cape Argus, Het Volksblad and many others. Two years after his death, a commemorative book entitled 'The Schroder Art Memento: A Volume of Pictorial Satire Depicting our Politics and Men for the Last Thirty Years, in Black and White, by South Africa's Only Artist'.