Cartooning Around

A cartoon is an illustration in a non-realistic or semi-realistic style. Long before we came to know a cartoon as something on your television every Saturday morning, "cartoon" was first used in the Middle Ages to describe the preparatory drawings used for a painting, fresco, tapestry, or stained glass window. In the 19th century, a cartoon came to refer to humorous illustrations in magazines and newspapers that poke fun at current events and/or individuals. The use of cartoons in print media is still a popular way to send a message today. The New Yorker, for example:



New Yorker cartoon by Lila Ash
2019

Please enjoy a selection of print cartoons from our collection, featuring five artists:

1. Leslie Ward (1851-1922)
Born in London, England, Sir Leslie Matthew Ward was a portrait artist and caricaturist who produced 1,325 cartoons for Vanity Fair between 1873 and 1911 under the pseudonyms "Spy" and "Drawl". He is regarded as the most famous Vanity Fair artist and the genre is often named after him, referring to any Vanity Fair caricature as a "Spy cartoon".

Below is a print of a Spy cartoon given to Archbishop Carter for Christmas in 1955.

Print of a cartoon by Leslie Ward ("Spy"). John Henry Newman is written in pencil on the bottom left corner referring to the subject of the print. John Henry Cardinal Newman (February 21, 1801 – August 11, 1890) was an English convert to Roman Catholicism, later made a Cardinal, and in 1991 proclaimed 'Venerable'. The "Tracts for the times" was written by John Henry Newman and initiated a movement known as Tractarian.
Original drawing from Jan. 20, 1877. Given to Archbishop Carter Dec. 1955

Special Collections: Artwork Collection
AW 59

2. John Wilson Bengough (1851-1923)
Born in Toronto, J.W. Bengough was an editor, publisher, writer, poet, entertainer, and politician. However, he was most remembered for his cartoons for Grip, Canada's first major English-Canadian satirical magazine, which he founded. Grip ran in late-Victorian Toronto from 1873 to 1894. Looking back, the magazine helped develop this young country's identity, as well as its taste for satire.

Here is a Grip Bengough cartoon we have in our collection:


"The Controversial Kitchen - Too Many Cookes Spoil the Broth"
Featuring Archbishop Lynch
Sketch by John Wilson Bengough for Grip
January 9, 1875

Archbishop Lynch fonds
L AE19.01

3. Merle Tingley (1922-2017)
Known as "Ting", Tingley was a Canadian cartoonist for the London Free Press from 1948 to 1986. He was recognized extensively for his work, receiving the National Newspaper Award for editorial cartooning in 1955 and the National Headliner Award for Editorial Cartoon for 1965. He was eventually inducted into the Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame in 2015. His contributions have been commemorated every year since 2014 with the Ting Comic and Graphic Arts Festival in London, Ontario.

Tingley's mascot is a worm character called "Luke Worm" who was often present in his illustrations. See if you can spot him in these four drawings gifted to Archbishop Carter from Merle Tingley himself.

Pen and ink cartoon by Merle Tingley depicting some sort of current event relating to a road encroachment on a grave near St. Peter's Cathedral in London.
1975

Special Collections: Artwork Collection
AW 21(a)

Pen and ink cartoon by Merle Tingley depicting some sort of current event relating to a road encroachment on a grave near St. Peter's Cathedral in London.
March 17, 1975

Special Collections: Artwork Collection
AW 21(b)

Pen and ink cartoon by Merle Tingley depicting some sort of current event relating to a road encroachment on a grave near St. Peter's Cathedral in London.
April 3, 1975
 
Special Collections: Artwork Collection
AW 21(c)

Pen and ink cartoon by Merle Tingley depicting some sort of current event relating to a road encroachment on a grave near St. Peter's Cathedral in London.
May 24, 1975
 
Special Collections: Artwork Collection
AW 21(d)

4. Ben Wicks (1922-2000)
Born in London, England, Ben Wicks moved to Canada in 1957 and travelled to Toronto in 1963 to work as a cartoonist for the Toronto Telegram. His simply drawn and witty cartoons became very popular, most notably his cartoon The Outcasts, which was syndicated in over 50 newspapers. He was picked up by the Toronto Star in 1971 and his illustrations would go on to be carried by 84 Canadian and more than 100 American newspapers.

He was a frequent guest on television and radio shows, eventually landing his own show on CBC in the 1970s. He created a series of children's books called Katie and Orbie, which was turned into an animated show for Family in Canada and PBS in the United States. He also created a boardgame, opened a pub in Cabbagetown, and was actively involved in humanitarian work. In 1986, Ben Wicks was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

Felt tipped cartoon of Archbishop Carter standing in the forefront with another man and in the background two clerical looking men are walking away. The quote is: "Don't worry your eminence. He's just mad that he hasn't got one."
[198-?]

Special Collections: Artwork Collection
AW 63

5. Bob Monks (1927-2011)
Born in Michigan, Monks worked a commercial art job in Detroit and eventually moved to Windsor to work as a high school art teacher in the 1950s. By the 1970s, he became the editorial cartoonist for The Windsor Star. He hosted his own TV series called Bob Monks' Inside Outside and went on to publish a book in 2011 titled Bob Monks History of Windsor.

Below is a drawing given to Archbishop Carter from Bob Monks.

A cartoon of Cardinal Carter done by artist Bob Monks. In the foreground: Carter holding a crosier like a javelin he’s about to throw, quoting "My role as bishop is somewhat akin to being a crosseyed javelin thrower. Gerald Cardinal Carter" - presumably a quote from Carter. In the background: two priests, "2500 bishops in the world and we get a handicapped jock".
[198-?]

Special Collections: Artwork Collection
AW 58