Heritage et AL

Elementary, my dear Watson. Not so. Sometimes editorial cartoons can just be humorous or ‘funny-peculiar’ pictures, but very often they have deep, intriguing meanings for readers based on current news of the day. This is usually the case with political cartoons, which use wit, satire and symbolism to convey their clearsighted but ironically subversive messages. Here is a selection of cartoons published by the Auckland Weekly News during 1920, with some ideas about what they mean. Image: Auckland Weekly News. His Majesty the Jockey, 10 June 1920. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections,AWNS-19200610-35-5 Our first cartoon is by Weekly News cartoonist Trevor Lloyd. He entitled it ‘His Majesty the Jockey’ because the Auckland tram strike supporting the jockeys’ work grievances took place on King’s Birthday, 1920. To interpret the cartoon, you should consult Papers Past about the jockeys’ work dispute and the tram strike. The tramwaymen refused to run trams going to the races at E...

One of the extraordinary collections at Auckland Libraries is the Reed Dumas Collection. This extends to some 3,350 volumes of printed works as well as over 2,000 sheets written by Alexandre Dumas (père) (1802 – 1870). Image: Bookplate for the Reed Dumas Collection, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. Iain Sharp’s essay in Real Gold , the library’s treasure book, provides an excellent introduction to the extraordinary Reed Dumas Collection. Image: Items in the Reed Dumas Collection, Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections. This collection is a life’s work developed by Frank Wild Reed (1874 – 1953), a Whangārei chemist and avid Dumas collector. Bequeathed to Auckland Libraries after his death in 1953, it is a treasure trove dedicated to the larger-than-life polymath Alexandre Dumas. FW Reed was the brother of Alfred Hamish Reed, who established one of New Zealand’s first publishing firms. The Reed Dumas collection can be explored through many paths. The first editions of Dumas fam...