Julius Vogel cartoon

This 1887 cartoon by William H. Reynolds shows former Premier Julius Vogel (as a kangaroo) being hounded to the edge of a cliff marked ‘Rack and ruin’ by dogs labelled Extravagance, Borrowing, Deficits and Protection. In the background are hunters on horseback. 

While today he is often regarded as a far-sighted nation-builder, Vogel was a highly controversial figure in his time. He was a lifelong gambler and speculator, with a love of society, food and wine; his private financial dealings, especially in later life, carried a ‘whiff of scandal’ that was only partly attributable to anti-Semitism.