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26 January 2018

The Cartoon Museum

I visited the Cartoon museum today in London.  Just near the British museum it is a small structure, just two floors.  But an interesting place to know the history and development of British cartoon drawings. It does not boast of the comic history as such but its beginning and evolution on the British soil. The fees is very minimal (being a student I was charged only GBP 3). Then there is a cartoon shop from where one can purchase cards, posters, drawing materials/things and books related to comics and cartoons. 

I was keen to find something about my favourite Dennis the menace.  Learnt two interesting facts today.  That the comic strip Dennis the Menace has a British and an American version.  Both of which originated in the same week in the year 1951.  The museum claims that the illustrated comic strip appeared first Britain in 'The Beano' and a week later in the US.  Well, I realised my favourite single frame comic is perhaps a later American edition. 

The second fact I learnt was that John Leech (1817 - 1864) was the one who first used the word 'cartoon' in the year 1843.  Till then, cartoons were normally referred to as comics or caricatures (Italian origin).  The word 'cartoon' was coined by John Leech as a title of one of his drawings. 

For legal purposes, photography of individual drawings is not permitted.  Otherwise I'd have clicked some amusing ones.  Certainly a place worth visiting! 

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