CARTOON - A DANGEROUS OCCUPATION
1923Scene of a French soldier in uniform. Uniform has a blue tunic, with grey and red pants and a dark coloured cap with red band. On his back is a backpack and over his shoulder is a rifle. He is in a room full of gun power kegs and he is lighting a pipe. There is text in the smoke rising from the pipe saying [RUHR / VALLEY / OCCUPATION] and text on power kegs saying [GUN POWDER].
Ben Strange signature bottom right
The published cartoon in the Western Mail on 1 March 1923 included the caption:
A DANGEROUS OCCUPATION.
The cartoon shows a French soldier dressed for battle (he has the word ‘France’ on his collar), about to light a pipe in a room filled with barrels of Gunpowder. In the corner of the room, in the midst of the smoke from the pipe, are the words, ‘Ruhr Valley Occupation’. The title of the cartoon, ‘A Dangerous Occupation’ has 2 meanings. Not only is the soldier engaging in a dangerous act - lighting a pipe in the midst of explosive material, the image is a metaphor for the potentially dangerous situation in Europe at that time with the French occupation of the Ruhr Valley in Germany.
Details
Details
Artist's signature bottom right [Ben Strange]
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.
City of Armadale - History House
City of Armadale - History House
Other items by Ben Strange
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CARTOON - TEMPTING GOOD - A BERLIN SHOWCASE
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CARTOON - THE PREMIERS CONFERENCE BOVRILISED: BUT THE STATES LIVES IN HOPE
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CARTOON - INDUSTRIAL WRECKERS
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CARTOON - THE WAITS CHRISTMAS 1916
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CARTOON - TOMMY WALKER- STILL GOING STRONG
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CARTOON - IN PRAISE OF BEAUTY
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CARTOON - THE GREAT PEACE POSTER
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CARTOON - IN TROUBLED WATERS
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CARTOON - THE TRIUMPH OF THE CROSS
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CARTOON - THE DECIDING FACTOR
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CARTOON - LABOUR PARTY I MUST DISOWN ALL KNOWLEDGE OF THE OBSTRUCTIVE ASS
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CARTOON - WHEN CONSTABULARY DUTYS TO BE DONE - A POLICEMANS LOT IS NOT A HAPPY ONE
Other items from City of Armadale - History House
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CARTOON - STARVATION IN EUROPE
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CARTOON - SILENCE IS NOT ALWAYS GOLDEN - AND THE LAW MAKES A POOR CUPID
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CARTOON - A LITTLE BABY WITH A BIG BOTTLE
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CARTOON - THAT MALIGNANT GROWTH
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CARTOON - THE WATCH DOG
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CARTOON - THE SIMPLE LIFE
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CARTOON - SIR WALTERS NEW MASH
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CARTOON - SANTA CLAUSE AND THE SILVER LINK
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CARTOON - ADRIFT - DROPPING THE PILOT
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CARTOON - THE LONG TREK FROM THE NORTH
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CARTOON - THE STRANGE ADVENTURE OF LITTLE NOT WANTED
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CARTOON - FINANCIAL RETURN
