Our Centenary History of Cartoons

Caricature genre having reach tradition has passed versatile development way as an important field of Azerbaijan descriptive art. We approximately meet caricatures reflecting in current press, special satiric magazines in the middle of XIX century firstly in Azerbaijan.

And at last, the weekly satiric magazine named “Molla Nasraddin” came into light on April 7, 1906 in Azerbaijan firstly in the East. This was a great event. As the originator, editor and publisher of the magazine and the prominent writer Jalil Mammadguluzadeh said: The life itself has created this magazine playing great role in the development of social and cultural conscious of Azeri people. Life being full of social contradictions put duties both in front of literature and descriptive art.

Directly under the influence of “Molla Nasreddin” magazine other illustrated magazines such as “Bahlul” (1907), “Zanbur” (1909-1910), “Mirat” (1910), “Ari” (1910-1911), “Kalniyyat” (1912-1913), “Lak-Lak” (1914), “Tuti” (1914-1917), “Mazali” (1914-1915), “Babayi-Amir” (1915-1916), “Tartan-Partan” (1918), “Sheypur” (1918-1919), “Mashal” (1919-1920) began to be published in Baku in Azerbaijani language. Together with these magazines a lot of satirical magazines in Russian language, such as “Jigit” (1907-1918), “Vay-Vay” (1908), “Bakinskoye Gore” (1908-1909), “Bich” (1909-1915), “Adskaya Pochta” (1909-1910), “Bakinskiye Streli” (1910), “Baraban” (1912-1913) and others were also published in Azerbaijan in that period. The most durable magazine “Molla Nasreddin” had been published till 1931 with certain pauses.