00:11 - Where here with sydney wilkinson a former editorial

00:13 - cartoonist for the philadelphia inquirer and the daily news

00:17 - what is the difference between political cartoons and other kind kinds of cartoons.

00:21 - Well.

00:23 - Done

00:23 - title political cartoons may give you a tip off

00:27 - it's not just I you know

00:30 - funny characters like on the comics page they're actual people doing funny things.

00:36 - According

00:37 - to the cartoonist and.

00:41 - Are really

00:42 - great

00:43 - the

00:44 - medium of comment for commentary political commentary

00:49 - but

00:50 - it's quickly understood

00:52 - if a

00:52 - is

00:53 - A clear drawing

00:54 - and.

00:56 - Is a relief from.

00:58 - A you know reams of a

01:01 - type

01:02 - it

01:03 - That's usually a

01:04 - nearby so

01:05 - it's a visual commentary rather than

01:08 - a

01:09 - You know a printed.

01:11 - Commentary

01:13 - and what are political cartoons used for

01:16 - but a publication and

01:19 - a hire as a cartoonist or uses cartoons

01:22 - again as the way of visually commenting on the news

01:27 - and a cartoonist is just.

01:30 - A

01:31 - You know a commentator who knows how to draw and is not all that interested in

01:36 - interested in spelling

01:38 - so but.

01:41 - Drawing and

01:41 - drawing your image rather than describe seeing it in words is

01:46 - what we do.

01:47 - How long have political cartoons been around.

01:51 - Well I'm pretty much forever

01:54 - cave

01:55 - cave drawings sarah perhaps or we're starting it

01:59 - but in the united states and

02:02 - there are cartoons

02:04 - from the colonial era and before.

02:08 - Making fun of all our

02:10 - heroes in

02:12 - american politics

02:14 - let's start with the colonial era where were

02:16 - these cartoons first published back then.

02:20 - Well

02:21 - benjamin franklin had a press in

02:25 - philadelphia

02:26 - and he'd have to do it one off you know

02:29 - press there's one copy press there's another copy press there's another copy.

02:35 - So that's how it started and that's how it and

02:39 - you know it changed as technology change so by the time you're in the.

02:45 - You know the civil war era

02:47 - there

02:47 - there are news papers

02:49 - you know

02:49 - being

02:50 - printed a thousand at a time or many thousands at a time

02:55 - and so those

02:56 - those cartoons are

02:58 - and.

03:00 - You know mass circulated.

03:03 - Can you walk us through the process at how the early cartoons were printed.

03:07 - Basically I mean from what I've seen is they

03:11 - you know they are

03:12 - a

03:13 - Sort of lithographs and you know are painted

03:16 - or.

03:17 - Put on one at a time on the presses

03:21 - and.

03:23 - Inked.

03:25 - Pressed and then

03:26 - the next piece of paper is put on

03:29 - it's.

03:30 - It was a

03:31 - little bit more tedious process than it is now

03:34 - they're they're beautiful they're artworks in themselves and

03:37 - and you can really

03:38 - see the line you can see the paper you can see what it's surrounding

03:43 - it's a you know if anyone has.

03:46 - An interest in it I'd go to

03:48 - a good.

03:50 - A library in their town or.

03:53 - Not library but

03:54 - you know at.

03:56 - A historical society in their town and they would definitely have.

04:01 - Cartoons from whatever

04:03 - era you're looking for

04:04 - what role did benjamin franklin

04:06 - franklin play in introducing political cartoons to north america.

04:12 - Well

04:12 - there you said it.

04:15 - He was.

04:16 - I mean he wasn't the first

04:17 - to have them but they

04:19 - he was the first to really use them and

04:22 - to hire

04:23 - or hire cartoonist to to actually do them

04:26 - so yeah I'm

04:27 - I'm all I'm.

04:30 - That's great great great great great

04:32 - great grandfather.

04:34 - Of cartooning

04:36 - and

04:36 - we're happy

04:37 - happy

04:39 - decided to do it in philadelphia.

04:41 - Where were his cartoons published.

04:45 - As I said

04:45 - some of them are and

04:47 - some of them would be in

04:48 - in papers but they can use they can buy cartoons

04:52 - by themselves.

04:55 - As a

04:56 - you know

04:57 - just being printed off but they

04:59 - he had he had newspapers of benjamin franklin had newspaper of it's own

05:04 - others did too two and they could appear in those.

05:08 - Did he have any notable cartoons that he

05:10 - drew.

05:12 - What

05:12 - while he never drew them

05:14 - he had other people draw them so.

05:19 - I guess the.

05:21 - Do

05:21 - The the most famous one is join or die

05:24 - do you know what the meaning of the join or die cartoon was.

05:29 - Well it was a it was propaganda for the the.

05:34 - Colonial cause

05:35 - of independence from england.

05:38 - That's

05:39 - what it was about and I was trying to get

05:41 - it was to get all the colonies on the same page

05:46 - too.

05:48 - Confront.

05:50 - The the english

05:51 - overlords of the time.

05:54 - Did it achieve what he was hoping it would achieve.

05:58 - Well

05:59 - benjamin franklin worked in many many many ways it was

06:03 - it was one thing that probably helped the cause

06:07 - it

06:08 - It published size ten and rallied the troops sort of

06:12 - embraced people for what was coming

06:15 - but

06:15 - benjamin franklin and and the others of that time were.

06:21 - Writing pamphlets you know putting up posts of

06:24 - you know

06:25 - public posters.

06:27 - That were speaking

06:29 - loudly and.

06:31 - As a group and as individuals

06:34 - so it's

06:35 - it was it would be hard to say what these by

06:38 - themselves but if literacy was not what it is today

06:43 - and

06:44 - they gave

06:45 - the people who

06:46 - weren't reading a chance to see something

06:50 - that I could

06:51 - figure out what it was about.

06:53 - Why do you think this cartoon was so impactful

06:55 - first of all there aren't that many I mean there were

06:59 - cartoons

07:00 - but benjamin franklin owned the presses

07:03 - sir oh

07:04 - he he was able to

07:07 - or the

07:07 - nutmeg

07:08 - maybe not

07:09 - own them but he worked with them and.

07:11 - I

07:12 - Was able to.

07:15 - Use them

07:16 - as a means of getting his

07:19 - political point of view out.

07:21 - What impact have political cartoons had on politics over the years.

07:26 - It's hard to tell

07:27 - I mean there's nobody you know first of all politicians do not admit

07:32 - that they

07:33 - changed course or

07:35 - did something differently because of a political cartoonist most of them hated

07:39 - cartoons and cartoonists and were

07:42 - vocal about that.

07:45 - So.

07:47 - You know

07:48 - it's hard to tell but and cartoons

07:53 - attacking someone or making fun of them.

07:58 - Yeah they've rallied readers and said yeah I

08:00 - I agree with that yeah

08:03 - that guy's an idiot he

08:04 - a

08:05 - Who's a

08:06 - you know in the

08:07 - in the senate or

08:09 - the

08:10 - local government.

08:12 - Are there different types of political cartoons.

08:17 - Well it it right now there's so many different ways of visually

08:22 - and.

08:24 - So dealing with

08:26 - politics that it's hard to separate what one

08:30 - kurt what is a cartoon vs other other media

08:34 - but.

08:36 - A gap

08:37 - of politics I mean.

08:39 - The problem with

08:40 - political cartoons now is that newspapers are

08:44 - is shrinking fast there are only about thirty or

08:47 - so and

08:48 - maybe forty I'm not sure

08:50 - in the country who have political cartoon

08:53 - or who run of.

08:55 - Who who run

08:56 - political cartoons.

08:59 - On paper

09:00 - and.

09:01 - I.

09:03 - The I don't think

09:04 - well

09:05 - let me rephrase that.

09:07 - I think there are only about

09:09 - maybe thirty or

09:11 - thirty five

09:12 - forty

09:13 - possibly cartoonists in the united hired

09:17 - daily cartoonist in the united states

09:20 - and

09:21 - most of them

09:23 - are probably really not on

09:26 - and.

09:27 - Not on

09:28 - of staff or payroll whereas.

09:32 - When I started.

09:34 - I was a hired member of the political of the

09:38 - editorial staff of the philadelphia

09:41 - daily news first will actually first the san jose mar mercury near the center in

09:45 - california which is where I got my start

09:48 - thank you california

09:50 - and then.

09:52 - Came here where I am today in philadelphia

09:56 - and later the

09:58 - inquires.

10:01 - The terrific cartoon is tunis tony auth retired

10:05 - and the

10:05 - enquirer started using me as well

10:08 - so

10:09 - That's how

10:10 - I was distributed here in philadelphia

10:14 - he talked a little bit like you just said about your experience with political

10:16 - cartoons what drew you to them in the first place.

10:20 - Gosh it's kind of a good question except.

10:24 - I I I did do like a

10:26 - you know a sixth grade paper

10:29 - for my elementary school that had

10:33 - a drawing and that that was a political

10:35 - drawing so I guess that was my start I did not say but it's

10:40 - not going to any library anywhere.

10:43 - But.

10:44 - Yeah I like to draw and.

10:47 - I'm interested in politics and.

10:50 - So.

10:52 - It just

10:53 - knew

10:53 - it was.

10:55 - Something i.

10:56 - Just

10:57 - naturally had the abilities I guess and the interest to to do.

11:02 - Can you walk us through the process of when you sit down to make a cartoon what

11:07 - thoughts go through your head how do you get the idea.

11:10 - Well reading

11:12 - just reading reading reading

11:14 - and

11:15 - because good writing has it

11:18 - uses good imagery.

11:20 - So

11:21 - When somebody's

11:22 - gonna win a writer writes about somebody

11:25 - again over being a

11:26 - donkey's ass.

11:30 - That's an image I could use

11:32 - and or they're usually not I mean the writers are usually more

11:36 - discreet than that but

11:38 - do.

11:39 - You know

11:40 - the.

11:42 - Images

11:43 - in good vivid writing.

11:46 - Can

11:47 - can often

11:48 - lead to.

11:49 - An image

11:51 - that could translate into a cartoon.

11:53 - Well.

11:54 - That's one way I mean it's

11:56 - the other you know everybody does them differently

11:59 - and I think different days different things.

12:02 - Yes

12:03 - spur your imagination

12:05 - or your visual

12:06 - thinking.

12:08 - What are some top specs at your cartoons covered throughout the years.

12:13 - Oh

12:13 - Well.

12:15 - What didn't they cover I mean

12:17 - there was

12:18 - an.

12:21 - The politics of all sorts a local

12:24 - national

12:26 - it would and

12:27 - I did a lot on women's rights.

12:31 - And social issues poverty and.

12:35 - The fun issues

12:37 - are really.

12:38 - Punchline worthy of issues

12:41 - but.

12:42 - Do you know I just look at

12:44 - the world and seem see what was happening

12:47 - did a lot on education.

12:49 - Schools.

12:52 - Do

12:52 - You know a lot on women's rights

12:55 - and of course a lot about

12:57 - politics.

12:59 - Can you describe some of your favorite works for us.

13:04 - Well

13:05 - describing a cartoon dislike killing it big

13:08 - as

13:09 - It's

13:09 - it's

13:10 - there is an image but.

13:13 - You know it's like

13:14 - you're asking me to choose between my little children.

13:19 - All six thousand of my little jody friend.

13:24 - So it's.

13:25 - You know it's hard to pick out one in particular.

13:30 - Yeah

13:30 - I have a

13:32 - number.

13:34 - In little

13:35 - books have.

13:37 - Collections of them.

13:39 - I'm kind of a privacy rights

13:41 - fanatic

13:42 - so

13:43 - Here's one

13:44 - about.

13:46 - A teacher

13:47 - saying one nation under surveillance and.

13:52 - The kids are looking and there are are.

13:56 - There are cameras all over the

13:58 - buildings nearby

14:00 - that that one I really like

14:02 - I also

14:04 - am a techno cousin

14:05 - and so

14:06 - the

14:07 - inner.

14:08 - I did not start in the internet to generation and are the online generation

14:14 - of and so

14:16 - me and computers were never

14:19 - the match

14:20 - made in heaven.

14:21 - As somebody did this one on.

14:25 - How I feel about all the websites that I have to.

14:29 - Take care of.

14:31 - I all I like to do a lot on

14:34 - the socialists issues.

14:35 - I

14:36 - Like

14:37 - it.

14:38 - During the course of my.

14:40 - Career.

14:42 - People.

14:43 - Out defending the flag and not wanting the flag desecrated.

14:49 - I.

14:50 - Always amuse me because

14:53 - so much of.

14:55 - Retail sales depend on the flag

14:58 - sorry did.

14:59 - This one.

15:01 - Under the flag burning amendment of the constitution

15:04 - this would be

15:06 - the appropriate and inappropriate displays

15:09 - is there any the thing you find challenging about creating political cartoons.

15:14 - I think you have to.

15:17 - You have to do an image that fits the person that you're.

15:22 - Or.

15:23 - The topic that you're.

15:26 - I was trying to express yourself on and.

15:30 - Particularly.

15:32 - People

15:33 - it

15:34 - You have to.

15:36 - You have to do caricatures of them

15:39 - and some people are easier to caricature than others

15:43 - and some of them

15:45 - you know you.

15:46 - You have different feelings about the person so

15:49 - it depends on.

15:52 - How long you're going to make their knows how ugly their hair was however

15:57 - do

15:58 - To to describe them in a cartoon.

16:02 - It's it it depends on the cartoon and

16:05 - and the topic and the person

16:07 - or issue it's about

16:08 - I mean I do not make fun of

16:12 - handicapped people little children

16:15 - and.

16:16 - I do make fun of.

16:18 - Religious

16:19 - religious people not for their religion

16:23 - but for ways they use the religion in a

16:28 - destructive for in my mind.

16:31 - The way i.

16:34 - I'm glad if people find solace and

16:37 - in

16:37 - Whatever religion they're.

16:39 - They they practice.

16:42 - Lastly we

16:43 - we talked about earlier how newspapers are.

16:46 - Becoming a thing of the past what is the future

16:49 - of political cartoons if there are no newspapers.

16:54 - Well that's a very good question I wish I knew

16:57 - but

16:57 - I retired a few years

16:59 - ago before

17:01 - that question really got answered

17:04 - but now some of my colleagues I do

17:07 - very well on sub stack

17:10 - they

17:10 - they have pages

17:13 - they advertise them that

17:15 - are you know they

17:16 - they.

17:18 - Use them on social media to attract more.

17:22 - Visitors

17:23 - and there are a number of cartoonists in it including my friend dan tallness who is.

17:29 - Just a genius cartoonist and and has many many many tens of

17:34 - not hundreds of thousands of.

17:37 - Subscribers

17:38 - to her sub stack

17:40 - calm

17:40 - and there are a number of other cartoonists who are doing very well

17:43 - maybe not that well or you know

17:46 - they're doing well.

17:48 - But that's a hard road to go

17:50 - it's.

17:52 - The other thing about it is it's kind of lonely

17:55 - one of.

17:56 - It's a

17:57 - solitary

17:59 - and

18:00 - way of working you know it's you and your drawing board and in your house these days

18:06 - because you're no longer part of.

18:08 - A larger organization a newspaper

18:11 - I mean one of the joys of my life was

18:15 - and

18:16 - drawing a

18:19 - my

18:19 - Ideas for the day and then taking them into my editor and having them go.

18:25 - Oh.

18:26 - Really.

18:28 - I

18:28 - Know.

18:30 - So

18:31 - I mean you have having neck

18:33 - and

18:34 - human contact when it's was really great we've been speaking with signi wilkinson

18:39 - former editorial cartoonist for the philadelphia

18:42 - inquirer and the daily news thank you for your time.

18:45 - Thank you for having me this is really fun I dunno I'm

18:48 - so glad you recognized our a wacky little profession.