The Rag Rag was first published by the Students' Union in 1924. The magazine contained jokes and humorous stories, along with numerous advertisements. Some of the latter were produced by Manchester students for local businesses, and were also humorous in nature. The early magazines were notable for their bright covers, adorned with an illustration which usually incorporated the snake and sun from the University's coat of arms. The scurrilous nature of the Rag Rag occasionally attracted criticism from the University's authorities, but it was an effective means of raising money for the Rag. From the late 1940s the Rag became smaller in size, and jokes and cartoons came to predominate over humorous and satirical stories. The content of the humour also evolved with the times.
Content Warning
As a historical resource, this collection reflects the prejudices of the era in which it was created, and some items include language and imagery which is offensive, oppressive and may cause upset. The use of this language is not condoned by The University of Manchester, but we are committed to providing access to this material as evidence of the inequalities and attitudes of the time period.