The City of Armadale was offering the public a chance to view some of the earliest political cartoons in Australian history.
The History House Museum was hosting an exhibition titled Strange’s War: The World War One Cartoons of Ben Strange.
For 30 years Ben Strange was the political cartoonist at Perth newspaper The Western Mail and provided a uniquely WA commentary on worldly events.
It was the outbreak of WWI which presented one of the first opportunities for Australian cartoonists to depict major conflict and political issues.
Armadale mayor Henry Zelones said the series of cartoons were a deep look into a world at the turn of the last century which had been thrown into a war of massive proportions.
“From the battlefronts in Europe to local stories that made the paper, Ben used his pen to often look at the funnier side of life,” he said.
“Ben’s cartoons were much loved over the years by readers of The Western Mail. “They provided an insight into how many fellow West Australians felt about the war and other local issues during that time.
“This exhibition is bound to appeal to those historians with fond memories of Ben’s cartoons which depicted his political and often outspoken view on the war.”
History House Museum is at the Minnawarra Historic Precinct, Jull Street.
The exhibition will run until November.
