Elephants at Coogee Beach Cartoon

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Full titleElephants at Coogee Beach CartoonDatec 1920sDescriptionIncluded with the image was an extract from The Frank Baker Letters which describes the events that led to the cartoon.

"Mr. Wirth's residence (in Coogee) had some reason for a perplexing shock to my nerves one dark and peaceful night... I had just returned from active service in the First World War, and was still recovering from a paralysis of the lower limbs caused by war wounds, with resulting sever headaches that interfered with obtaining any sleep at night. So I would often limp down to Coogee Beach and sit for hours on the deserted sands, as I found that type of therapy most soothing... about 2:30 one early morn I was returning from one of those lone vigils, and just topped the crest of Beach Street, headed for home. A light mist had enveloped the heights, giving the darkness an almost ghostly quality. Limping along the middle of the road, I was suddenly confronted by an enormous, even darker shadow bearing down on me on a direct collision course. Forgetting any handicap of my wobbly pedal extremities, I lept wildly for the fringe of the road, from which I watched with bulging eyes the stately passage of the shadowy forms of six enormous elephants, each holding the preceding pachyderm's tail by its trunk, pace silently by my silent gaze. A single-hooded and equally silent human figure stalked by at the rear of the phantom column, leaving me with the uncomfortable certainty that my war injuries had unhinged my sanity. Elephants promenading the Coogee streets in the haunting hours? Impossible: suddenly my panic was subdued by the thought that Phillip Wirth must be in residence, and his celebrated circus in town. But his amalgamation of acrobats and animals would be at Exhibition Park in the City. What on earth were his elephants doing pacing the Coogee highways at two in the morning? I may add that I never discovered the solution of that enigma. And I thank the Gods that those elephants were not pink."CreatorHutchins, Wayne Curated CollectionsRandwick Social History ProjectPeople (Detailed entries)Baker, Frank, 1890-1980Hutchins, WayneWirth, Phillip, 1864-1937LocationsCoogee (N.S.W.)SubjectsCaricatures and cartoonsElephantsCircusSourceRandwick City LibraryFile FormatJPEGIdentifierC00157Request accessClick here to purchase a high-res file quoting the Identifier above

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Elephants at Coogee Beach Cartoon