This article discusses the illustrative material found within the Paris Commune Collection held in the Special Collections of The University of Sussex, and focuses on how values and opinions were communicated through the use of sartorial cartoons and caricatures. Approaches from a range of disciplines including art, librarianship, archives and education have been employed, highlighting the value of cartoons as both pieces of art and valuable communication devices, alongside the importance of the collection for teaching, and wider importance of using archive material within teaching.