A cartoon rediscovered

Discover the Cartoon that vanished twice!

Few Australian cartoons are as famous as Stan Cross's For Gorsake Stop Laughing, this is serious. First published in Smith’s Weekly in 1933, it captured the irreverent spirit of a nation enduring the hardships of the Depression.

But then it disappeared. Not once, but twice.

The original artwork vanished for decades before resurfacing in 2014. Even more astonishingly, the newspaper page on which the cartoon first appeared also disappeared from the historical record, replaced by a copy that concealed an extraordinary mystery.

Robert Phiddian will take you down these tortured paths, sing the praises of the unknown librarian who collected Smith’s in Adelaide and outline some implications for the archiving of media heritage.

Image: Smith's Weekly, For Gorsake Stop Laughing, this is serious, Stan Cross, 1933

Note: Auto-caption is used in this video which may result in typos or grammatical errors.

About the presenter

Robert Phiddian came to Flinders University on a one-year contract in 1991. On April Fools’ Day 2026 he retired as Professor of English. Between these dates, he taught Shakespeare, Swift, comedy and satire. He researched (and continues to research) political satire in particular.