Dame Wales (or Mam Cymru) was a middle-aged woman dressed in the Welsh national costume, along with Welsh hat, who would embody Wales in a similar way that other cartoonists would use Britannia to symbolise Britain or the British Empire. Dame Wales was normally the voice of reason in Staniforth’s cartoons and is often pictured attempting to discourage others from making decisions that would damage the country. When a spoken caption was required, Dame Wales would often be depicted talking in a working class valleys vernacular, which stands out against the language used by the more educated figures of authority she challenges. Other cartoonists would later take up the figure of Dame Wales, and would keep the same image in their work.
Creators/Key Contributors Joseph Morewood Staniforth
First Appearance Political cartoon in Western Mail (24 June 1898)
First Publisher Unknown
Appearance List Occassional appearances in the Western Mail and News of the World starting in 1898, at least through 1915.
Sample Read ○
Description Dame Wales (or Mam Cymru) was a middle-aged woman dressed in the Welsh national costume, along with Welsh hat, who would embody Wales in a similar way that other cartoonists would use Britannia to symbolise Britain or the British Empire. Dame Wales was normally the voice of reason in Staniforth’s cartoons and is often pictured attempting to discourage others from making decisions that would damage the country. When a spoken caption was required, Dame Wales would often be depicted talking in a working class valleys vernacular, which stands out against the language used by the more educated figures of authority she challenges. Other cartoonists would later take up the figure of Dame Wales, and would keep the same image in their work.
Top: Dame Wales needs to be revived by John Bull in the Evening Express (Wales, 27 October 1898). Bottom: Dame Wales confronts riot police in the Western Mail (Cardiff, 24 June 1898) | J. M. Staniforth
