A cartoon by Richard Cole depicts the former prime minister, in a pose traditionally associated with Napoleon Bonaparte, having kicked the British bulldog seen lurking in the background.

There may not be many facets of Dom Mintoff that remain unexplored, but a first-time exhibition of newspaper cartoons about him – from his own private collection – offers a fresh insight into the character of the former prime minister.

The National Archives are exhibiting 32 cartoons, collected and framed by Mr Mintoff himself, to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth, which falls on Saturday.

Twenty-nine of the cartoons, by 17 different cartoonists, were published in the British press, while the remaining three came from The Sunday Times of Malta and the Times of Malta. The earliest dates back to 1956.

The cartoons chart the political evolution of the man who was once revered by Labour Party supporters: on display are his efforts towards integration with the UK, his fallout with the British government in the early 1970s and his final days in Parliament in 1998.

There are digs at his reputation for sudden mood changes, which the press depicted as a calculated negotiating tactic, and jabs at his close relationship with Libya and its leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Mr Mintoff served in the House of Representatives between 1947 and 1998, and was actively involved in Maltese politics until 2003, campaigning against Malta joining the European Union.

The cartoons chart the political evolution of the man once revered by Labour Party supporters

Known affectionately by his followers as Il-Perit, Mr Mintoff was a socialist throughout his life and is remembered most for social reforms and the welfare state he developed as Prime Minister from 1955 to 1958 and 1971 to 1984.

He is also the man who undermined Paul Boffa’s government in the late 1940s and Alfred Sant’s government a generation later.

The exhibition – called Magical Mintoff after a cartoon depicting Mr Mintoff as a magician – opens on Wednesday and will run until August 13 at the National Archives in the Banca Giuratale at Mdina.

It was organised in collaboration with Mr Mintoff’s family.

Mr Mintoff is depicted by JAK finalising how different parts of Malta will be sold to various interests as part of his non-alignment policy.