LOW, 'COLOUR BAR CRISIS', INK, 1959

375 by 349mm., pen and ink, signed, dated ’15-7-59’ on reverse, mounted, framed and glazed

Manchester Guardian, 15 July 1959

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In Low’s cartoon, his ‘British everyman’ character Colonel Blimp has died after refusing treatment from an African Medical Officer, mirroring an occurrence in a hospital in Salisbury, Rhodesia. This, as Low indicates, was one of a number of high profile instances of racial segregation and discrimination from around the world during this period. The Notting Hill Race Riots had occurred under a year before this cartoon was published, between 30 August and 5 September 1958. The increase in West Indian migration into Britain following the end of the Second World War had led to growing tensions between the white working class and new West Indian communities and sporadic outbreaks of violence.

The ‘all-white All-Blacks’ refers to the announcement of New Zealand rugby team’s tour of South Africa, which went ahead in the summer of 1960, despite a large public outcry and widespread protests. New Zealand would send a touring party made up entirely of white players, after the South African authorities imposed the exclusion of all Maori players from the New Zealand side.

The Forest Hills Tennis Club, in Queens, New York, was the hosting venue for the US Open Championships. In 1957, Althea Gibson became the first black player to win the US Open, having already won Wimbledon earlier in the year, and the French Open the year before. However, in July 1959, Dr Ralph Bunche, who was at the time the chief mediator for the United Nations and had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1950, complained that Forest Hills had rejected an application for membership for him and his son on the grounds that they were black, a revelation that forced the resignation of the club’s president, Wilfred Burglund.