Hardly a subject for laughter. A visual history of conscription in Australia during The Great War. A case study of cartoons as a historical source.

Abstract

‘Hardly a subject of laughter’ is a visual history about the 1916 and 1917 referenda for military conscription for overseas service in Australia during the 1914-1918 War using cartoons as primary evidence. Its aim is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a method of analysis that approaches cartoons as a means of communication and to promote the value of the cartoon as a historical source.