Caricature Gallery

Charles Darwin in his evolutionary tree

Charles Darwin in his evolutionary tree. Caricature of the British naturalist Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) sitting in his evolutionary tree'. Darwin studied the differences in closely related but geographically separated species. The evolutionary tree was the notion that all living things are related and, as different species have evolved from common ancestors, new branches of the tree occur. This notion was first illustrated and popularised in The Origin of Species (1859), which also discussed natural selection, the notion that variations in species form arose over time, but only those variations which enhanced a species chance of survival would be propagated

© BILL SANDERSON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

1855 Punch Dinosaurs Crystal Palace

1855 Cartoon from Punch's Almanac of that year, ascribed to John Leech. "A visit to the antediluvian reptiles at Sydenham - master Tom strongly objects to having his mind improved". Clockwise from top; Iguanodon (with bird on its wrongly ascribed horn), Megalosaurus, Hylaeosaurus, prehistoric gharial (teleosaurus), ichthyosaur. The actual exhibits were designed to fit the victorian ideal of educating the masses. They were the work of artist Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins (based on the research of Owen, Mantell, Buckland, Conybeare and others). The Crystal Palace Antediluvians were the first life-size reconstructions of dinosaurs, and this cartoon indicates that many saw them as nightmarish monsters of a former age. Children would love dinosaurs ever after

© This image is Paul D. Stewart 2009. Do not reproduce without permission of the photographer at Stewartpauld@aol.com

1874 Monkey Darwin cartoon by Faustin

"Prof. Darwin" coloured lithograph by Faustin Betbeder, with original Shakespeare quotes in text below. Front page of the "Figaro" paper N. 475, London Wednesday February 18th 1874. It appeared there as an advert for the sister paper, the more expensive London Sketch-Book of the same month. The colour lithograph sample was clipped and stuck on for that purpose. Charles Darwin owned a copy of this version in his own collection (Darwin Archive 140.4). He also kept the associated text clipping which notes "with rare humility (Darwin) owns that his ancestors were apes. It appears that one person believed in the Darwinian theory, which we hold to be evidence that man is descended from a certain long eared quadruped" (donkey). Charles Darwin published The Descent of Man in 1871. This caricature of Charles Darwin as an ape also appeared in the London Sketch Book in 1874 as a souvenir print

© This image is Paul D. Stewart 2009. Do not reproduce without permission of the photographer at Stewartpauld@aol.com