The Anglo-Zulu War 1879 Through The Pages Of The Graphic

The Graphic documents how South Africa's 1879 war unfolded, shaping public perception and journalism. The Graphic was one of the foremost illustrated 'gentleman's magazines' of the late Nineteenth century.

It was founded by the artist and social reformer, William Luson Thomas (1830-1900), an engraver who had established a publishing company, Illustrated Newspapers Ltd, which introduced the magazine on 4 December 1869.

The large-format magazine offered around 25 pages of text and illustrations per issue, featuring articles on every subject including current politics, overseas news, agriculture, sport, the arts, fashion, royalty, modern literature, religion and science.

Many leading writers of the day contributed to The Graphic over the years but it became best known - and highly regarded - for the quality of its artwork, producing some of the most accomplished illustrations to appear in the contemporary press.

Like most British magazines and newspapers, The Graphic showed little awareness of the development of events in South Africa at the beginning of 1879 and the possibility of a war with the Zulu. But when the news of the 'disaster' at Isandlwana on 22 January 1879 reached Britain, it quickly spread through the media.

South Africa and Zululand were suddenly headline news and correspondents flocked to the theatre of war. The Graphic was not slow to publish detailed information as it came in - South Africa dominated its February edition, its pages filled with background information on Natal, Zululand and king Cetshwayo.

It outlined the causes and development of the war and offered a great deal of detail, as far as was then known, on the actions at Isandlwana and Rorke's Drift.

Other articles covered the career of the British commanding officer, Lord Chelmsford, and the reinforcements hurriedly assembled in Britain for dispatch to the theatre of war and its coverage continued through the course of the war and up to the end of 1879. The extracts from The Graphic print