British comics
1873–1939

This online exhibition presents a selection of British comics from the 1870s (the Ally Sloper era) to the 1930s (knockabout comics). The phrase "wonderfully vulgar" used in the exhibition title is taken from an interview in which Charlie Chaplin recalled his pleasure in reading comics as a boy in 1890s London.

The exhibition is based on a collection of around 5000 historical British comics housed in the Library (BIS) of the University of Oldenburg in Germany.

Clicking on "contents" will take you to the eight sections of the exhibition, also the index and a list of references.

Exhibition curator: Kevin Carpenter