CARTOON - THE ROAD TO ARMADALE

1926
Overview

The scene is a collage of images of disasters as people try and drive along the road to Armadale. Hand written captions accompany each scene. Printed title above cartoon [GLAD NEWS ITEM: THE PERTH-ARMADALE ROAD IS BEING REPAIRED]
In the middle is a man and a woman on a motorbike going along a rough track. A sign saying [TO / ARMADALE] is on the side of the road pointing in the direction they are going. Caption under scene [Are you sure George, that / you've taken the right road?" / No! I think someone's got here before us and taken it!" Scene across top is of trucks flying over a road that has a roller and tanks on it. Has the caption [Conveying material to / the repairing gangs.]
Scene on right side is of a car stuck in a large pot hole with the caption written under it ["I wouldn't worry - / They're going to fix / the road up shortly."
Bottom left scene has people looking down a crevasse in the road with the caption in bottom left corner saying [The lady: "It was / somewhere about / here I last saw / my car."
Bottom right scene is of cars driving along a windy road with a drop on one side that a car has fallen into. The caption is written in bottom left of the scene [A Joy Ride / In The Hills / "Why the hell didn't / you keep to your / left hand side?"
Ben Strange signature bottom right

Historical information

This is a printer version of a Ben Strange cartoon cut from the 28 January 1926 edition of the Western Mail. In the same edition of the paper is an article titled 'Scarcely believable: Perth-Armadale-Road is being reconstructed at a cost of £30,000'. The article includes two images of the crews repairing the road and notes that the condition of the road has been a long term issue for motorists. On 16 October 1925 The Call newspaper reported its support of the announcement that the road was to be fixed stating 'More axels have been broken and more bad language spilled on this stretch of road than perhaps on any other in the West, for it can fairly claim to be the worst main road in the State.'

Details

Details

Registration number
cwa-org-33-AK1999.99
Material
Inscriptions and markings

Artist's signature bottom right [Ben Strange]

Contextual Information
Year
1926
Statement of significance

HIGH
The Ben Strange cartoons are historically significant as they depict many key figures linked to the history and development of both Western Australia and Australia. Political figures who regularly appeared in his cartoon’s included John ‘Happy Jack’ Scaddan, the Premier of Western Australia from 1911 until 1916, and William ‘Billy’ Hughes, the Prime Minister of Australia from 1915 to 1923.

Primary significance criteria
Artistic or aesthetic significance
Historic significance
Social or spiritual significance
Comparative significance criteria
Interpretive capacity
Object’s condition or completeness
Rare or representative
Well provenanced
City of Armadale - History House

City of Armadale - History House

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