Britain in the Melbourne Punch

Abstract

This article explores the representation of Britain and the British by cartoonists in the Melbourne Punch. Just as in the London Punch, representative figures, together with caricatures of politicians and notables, were deployed in constant dialogue with the events of the day. Where Melbourne-based cartoonists used such characters critically, they did not position themselves as distinct or separate from a British identity, but integrated readers into a British world dependent upon networks of print culture and a shared sense of humour. The very form and function of the magazine (as well as its contents) therefore illuminate a proud sense of Britishness.