Memoirs of “Cynicus”

Martin Anderson (1854-1932), better known by his pseudonym “Cynicus,” was a Scottish artist whose meaningful satirical cartoons captivated the public imagination in the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Almost a century on from his death, his art continues to attract admiration. However, the story of the man behind the art is more elusive.

Cynicus’s art first became immensely popular in the early 1890s. During these years he published the Satires of Cynicus (1890), the Humours of Cynicus (1891), Symbols and Metaphors (1892) and Cartoons, Social and Political (1893). These books of sketches focussed on social, moral and political issues, interwoven with humour. He went on to become one of the most well-known postcard artists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was a master observer of life and his work illustrated human nature with all its follies and frailties and failings. It could be light-hearted or serious. A committed socialist, at his most political his drawings are a scathing visual critique of those in positions of power — businessmen, politicians, royalty, aristocracy, clergy, lawyers, and journalists. However, with few exceptions he portrayed types, not individuals, giving his work a timeless quality. His art makes viewers laugh and smile.

In 1930 the Glasgow Evening News published Cynicus’s memoirs in instalments. They were not published in book format. Further, this newspaper has not as yet been digitalised. Thus, his life story has remained far more inaccessible than his art. This book addresses that. Cynicus’s memoirs are republished here. The text has not been altered in any way. Annotations have been added. An afterword is also provided detailing what happened after the memoirs were published. The original newspaper memoir instalments were illustrated with a few photos and many reproductions of Cynicus cartoons. The photos are reproduced. As the newspaper print quality was poor, the images of the cartoons have been replaced with high quality reproductions of these same cartoons. These have been sourced from original books and postcards.

£6.99