The Slave Raids

This drawing, published in 'The Bulletin' edition on Thursday December 14, 1916 with the captioning 'The Slave Raids / When German Conscription came to Belgium / is Australia next?', was one of Lindsay's wartime illustrations that tended to be apocalyptic rather than satirical, representing the eternal forces of good against those of evil. Depicted in this cartoon is a German Kaiser towering over and whipping those who cannot defend themselves. His face is not completely human and is ominous, similar in design to 'the Ogre' or 'German monster' that appeared in many of Lindsay's war posters.

This work is aimed at the anti-conscriptionists indicating that if young men are not conscripted to fight they and the rest of the Allied nations would fall and eventually become slaves to the Germans. During this period, there began an anti-conscription movement which culminated in the first plebiscite of 28 October 1916 which narrowly rejected conscription with a margin of 49% to 51% against.

Norman Alfred William Lindsay (1879 – 1969) was a highly accomplished artist, author and cartoonist, from the early twentieth century. Joining Sydney’s The Bulletin in 1901, he worked as a political cartoonist for over 50 years from 1901-1901, 1910-1923 and 1932-1958.