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Welcome to the British Cartoon Archive

What is the British Cartoon Archive?

The British Cartoon Archive is dedicated to the history of British cartooning over the last two hundred years. The BCA holds the artwork for over 200,000 British editorial, socio-political, and pocket cartoons, supported by large collections of comic strips, newspaper cuttings, books and magazines. The BCA is located in Canterbury at the University of Kent and is part of Special Collections & Archives in the Templeman Library. The BCA regularly curates exhibitions of material and loans artwork nationally and internationally to other galleries.

What's in the British Cartoon Archive?

Artwork in the BCA dates back to 1904 and includes work by W.K. Haselden, Will Dyson, Sidney Strube, David Low, Vicky, Emmwood, Michael Cummings, Ralph Steadman, Mel Calman, Nicholas Garland, Chris Riddell, Carl Giles, Martin Rowson, and Steve Bell, amongst many others. Material from the BCA is still being accrued, with contemporary politics strongly represented throughout the collections.

How can I access material in the British Cartoon Archive?

If you would like to carry out research in the BCA collections please send an email to specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to make an appointment.  The Reading Room is open on Mondays (1.00 - 4.30pm), Tuesdays / Wednesdays / Thursdays (9.30am - 4.30pm) and Fridays (9.30am - 1.00pm). Many items have been digitised and are available to view online through the BCA's online catalogue.

Books from the British Cartoon Archive's library are listed on the University's LibrarySearch catalogue and can be searched by selecting 'British Cartoon Archive' on the right-hand drop down menu. Click through on the item you wish to see, click on the 'details' tab and select 'Request this item from the British Cartoon Archive'.

The Templeman Gallery is located within the Templeman Library, and is freely open without appointment during Library hours. Please see the Templeman Exhibitions blog for more information.