Sam Fitton made his name as an insightful and funny cartoonist for the Cotton Factory Times, an immensely successful newspaper aimed at workers in Lancashire and Cheshire cotton mills which at its peak sold more than 50,000 copies a week.

Beginning in 1907, Fitton would eventually contribute more than 400 cartoons for the paper, creating a unique visual record of the cotton industry, its workers and the communities in which they lived. Importantly, both Fitton and the paper he worked for were sympathetic to the struggles of their readers, whose lives were difficult, dirty and often short.

Fitton himself had begun work in cotton mills in Crompton, Oldham, before going on to make a living as a skilled illustrator, poet, dialect writer and performer. As a writer, he wrote hilarious lines in the Lancashire dialect and a book of his works Gradely Lancashire was published after his death in 1923.

Now, an exhibition at Gallery Oldham titled Finding the Funny is taking a look at this multi-talented man and his work. There will also be a series of events, which are being staged thanks to funding from the Society for the Study of Labour History.

This exhibition explores Sam Fitton’s creative output, his sense of humour, and as his ability to adapt to earn a living.

Through his eyes and using the collections of Gallery Oldham and Oldham Local Studies and Archives Centre the exhibition reflects on the experiences of millworkers during this time. His dialect writing also raises questions about local identity and the way people speak which are still important today.

Councillor Elaine Taylor, Deputy Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, said: ‘Oldham was built on cotton and Sam Fitton’s work gives a good insight into what it was like for workers more than a century ago. Many Oldhamers will have relatives who worked in the mills so this exhibition is a good chance to see what they went through – including the good and bad times.’

Historians Alan Fowler and Terry Wyke have produced an accompanying booklet Spindleopolis Tickling Oldham’s Funny Bone, which looks in more detail at the themes within the exhibition. It is available from the Gallery Shop.  The authors will be delivering a gallery talk on Wednesday 22 March from 2pm.

Events supported by the Society include:

• A drop-in workshop on Saturday 1 April with illustrator Dom Harbot from 1-3pm;
• A talk on Wednesday 19 April by Professor Mike Sanders of the University of Manchester on Lancashire dialect writing and the Cotton Factory Times, starting at 2pm; and
• Verses by Sam Fitton set to music on Saturday 3 June performed by Jennifer Reid as part of Festival Oldham.

Sam Fitton: Finding the Funny runs at Gallery Oldham from 18 March to 1 June. Find out more.