12 political cartoons on South Wales colliery strikes and labor history

Description

Got these old cartoons from a family collection, and thought someone might find them interesting. They’re all about the South Wales coal strikes and the tough conditions miners faced — a mix of real events and sharp satire. The set’s in a 12-panel frame that’s a bit worn, but the glass is intact and the pictures are all there. Frame’s about 243cm x 29cm — big enough to hang, but not exactly fancy.

The ones I’ve looked at: “Playing the Trump Card” by David Claypoole Johnston, “To the Rescue” (a vintage chromolithograph from a Russian marine card series), “Going into the Maelstrom” from early 20th century — shows how shaky things were for miners. There’s also “Leaders Without Men; Men Without Leaders” by J.M. Staniforth from 1898. A few others tie in to the 1926 strike, like “The Promise of May” by Bernard Partridge. One has “STRIME IN THE SOUTH WALES COAD FIELD” written on it — clearly from that period.

There’s a 1902 US strike cartoon showing how it spilled over into Britain, and another from 1892 with a “PITS ARE STILL OPEN” notice — feels like it’s about labor tensions. “Calling the Rose by Another Name” is from Punch in 1935, and “Swopping Horses Whilst Crossing the Stream” is a bit of a quirky one — a man in a carriage, another horse with a man’s head in a stream. “An Expensive Game of Waiting” looks like it’s from a satirical magazine too.

I found a lot of the details by digging through online archives, so it’s not a full catalog, but it gives a real feel for what the strikes were like. The frame’s aged, but it’s still sturdy. I’m in Ballycastle, Causeway Coast and Glens District — so if you’re local or want to pick it up, I can arrange that. I’ve kept it stored for years, and now I’m just letting it go. Price is £135 — not a lot, but it’s a real piece of history.