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• 1. Cartoons as a primary source
• 2. The ingenuity of great men
• 3. A note of caution
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Cartoons as a primary source

The Victorians were acutely aware of the power of the image to communicate complex ideas to audiences, and to influence their perceptions of the age in which they lived. The cartoon shown here, an allegory on the significance of steam power in the Victorian era, is a good example of a potent image of this type.

Historians, however, need to handle such sources with care. We need to ask who produced it, for what purpose, and whether it accurately represents contemporary realities.

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