Our Drawing-room Pets–with "Kangaroo Jim, the Champion Australian boomerang-thrower," for "Punch," July 2, 1887 1887

Editor: This drawing by George Du Maurier, titled "Our Drawing-room Pets," dates back to 1887. It looks like it was created as a print. What immediately strikes me is the caricature of this seemingly Australian man amidst a crowd of what I presume are British socialites. What's your interpretation of this work? Curator: It's crucial to see this work as a product of its time, deeply rooted in the context of British colonialism and the prevailing ideologies surrounding race and class. What do you observe in the depiction of the Australian man, "Kangaroo Jim"? Editor: Well, he is kind of sprawled out, with bare feet, while everyone else is quite buttoned up. The drawing is so detailed. Is that an indication that it might have a specific target? Curator: Absolutely. Du Maurier's work, published in "Punch," often satirized Victorian society. But, and it's a significant 'but', satire can reinforce existing power structures. Think about how "Kangaroo Jim" is presented—as a curiosity, an "idol" even. The very title, "Our Drawing-room Pets," implies ownership and exoticization. Do you see the potential for problematic representations here? Editor: Definitely. It seems like there's a tension between portraying him as a celebrity and simultaneously highlighting his "otherness" compared to the British elite. Curator: Precisely! And that tension is where the colonial gaze operates. The "civilized" drawing-room becomes a stage for displaying the "exotic," reinforcing a hierarchy. Considering this, how does this influence how we read the image today? Editor: It encourages a critical look. This drawing provides a complex view into a moment in history with race and the British empire. I wouldn't have approached it this way, if not for you. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. Let's carry that lens of historical critique forward as we view art.