The Rhodes Colossus Striding from Cape Town to Cairo

An iconic editorial cartoon satirizing British imperial ambitions in Africa.

This visual representation of the late 19th century ‘Scramble for Africa’ was drawn by cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne and published in the December 10th edition of London’s Punch Magazine. It shows British imperialist Cecil Rhodes as a modern day Colossus, towering across the continent with outstretched arms, cable in hand.

The image was drawn to accompany a scathing poem criticizing Rhode’s plan to create a transcontinental telegraph and railroad – the Cape to Cairo line. The garb in which Rhodes is dressed, including the helmet and rifle, reflects the militarism he would employ to try and achieve his (ultimately failed) goal.