Telling Our Tales: Compassion through Story-telling

Join us for a series of workshops and talks in May and June 2023 that explore how we tell stories of migration and movement. Our series of events includes creative and art workshops, talks providing insights into refugee stories and practical consideration of how to ensure refugee stories are preserved and remembered.  

This series follows our June 2022 exhibition – Reflections on the Great British Fish and Chips – where a volunteer research group selected items for display from Special Collections and Archives that explored themes of migration, movement and global food production. This display of original items accompanied an exhibition created by reportage artist Olivier Kugler, and writer Andrew Humphreys, which revealed everyday stories of migration through illustrating the lives and experiences of fish and chip shop owners across Kent.    

Bookings for each event can be made by emailing specialcollections@kent.ac.uk  

We look forward to welcoming you at one or more of this events series – to share stories and experiences and build understanding and compassion in relation to migration and movement of people across the world.  

Wednesday 24th May 2023: 12.30pm  

Photography in protracted displacement as a tool of activism: Basma El Doukhi in conversation with Rania Saadallah (Stateless refugee and photographer)  

Portrait image of Rania Saadallah showing her holding her phone taking a selfie, wearing a bag on her front and wearing a face mask

Rania Saadallah, stateless refugee and photographer

An exciting launch event for the Telling our Tales series of activities, following our Reflections on the Great British Fish and Chips exhibition events in 2022.  

Join us for a discussion about Rania’s work in the Reflections on the Great British Fish and Chips exhibition and her work in the Palestinian camps of Lebanon. This will include her personal journey as a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee who is using photography as a tool to share and tell tales about Palestinian refugees, mainly women, in the camps of Lebanon. Rania will describe how this tool helped her to challenge the status quo and narratives about refugees within the camps and outside them.  

The conversation will be followed by a Q&A and a session for reflection on the way forward.  

This is a hybrid event which can you join in person or remotely. The event is open and free for all to attend. Rania will be speaking to us from Lebanon. The talk will be shown on a screen in the Templeman Library – room D G 02 – near the Nexus area. 

Please email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book/register your place, or request to join the talk remotely.  

About Rania: 

Rania Saadallah is a third-generation stateless Palestinian refugee who uses photography as a tool to share and tell tales about Palestinian refugees, mainly women, in the camps of Lebanon. Rania says: “Five years ago, I started her story in the world of photography. When it was enough to make me know people more, their pain and joy, in addition to creating a kind of love for people’s faces more. Despite this time, until this moment, every photography experience creates a state of fear and anxiety, as if it was the first time I was photographing. I moved between filming workshops, stories from the camps, exhibitions, and many stories that took a part of my soul.”

About Basma:  

Basma El Douhki is a PhD Researcher in Migration Studies with the Global Challenges Doctoral Centre (GCDC) at the University of Kent. For many years Basma has been active in humanitarian and development work with refugees and asylum seekers within UNHCR, UNRWA and international NGOs in Lebanon and Syria. Basma’s own lived experience as a refugee, and her post-graduate studies in Emergency and Development Studies, have influenced her work exploring the nature of refugee-led organisations and the factors conditioning their impact and interventions.  

Portrait image of Basma El Doukhi - wearing a black headscarf and a black, red, white and gold decorated dress

Basma El Doukhi – PhD researcher in the Global Challenges Doctoral Centre (University of Kent)

 

Wednesday 24th May 2023: 2.30pm  

Visual Story-telling with Adïam Yemane  

Portrait image of Adiam Yemane, facing to the right of the image with eyes closed wearing an earing and a beaded necklace

Adiam Yemane, Ethiopian Eritrean visual artist and storyteller

This workshop is led by Adïam Yemane, an Ethiopian Eritrean visual artist and travelling storyteller, with a focus on social justice and community development. 

Adïam will lead a workshop taking participants on a short journey on how stories are told visually and how we can naturally weave these disciplines into our daily lives. During the workshop, Adïam will present her work and the work of other Visual Artists, encouraging wider group discussions and more intimate smaller group discussions.  

Each participant is invited to bring a photograph for a group exercise. This could be a personal story or something you have seen before that tells the story of migration, which you like and are happy to share with the group.  

About Adïam:  

Adïam works as a freelance Portrait and research photographer focusing on social justice and community development. Longing for consistent change and and movement inspires her to travel and document the world. World peace and sustainability are Adïam’s main focus. Through art, Adïam expresses heartfelt stories from around the world that facilitate the viewer with a greater understanding. 

The workshop will take place in the Templeman Library – Room D G 02 – near the Nexus area. 

Please email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book/register your place.  

 

Wednesday 7th June 2023: 1.30pm 

Creative Expressions of Migration and Movement with Maryam Sandjari Hashemi 

Portrait image of Maryam Hashemi in the centre of the image looking upwards to the right wearing a colourful striped top and a blue scarf, with a background of a purple sky and golden moon framed by red, blue and white tree like imagery

Maryam Sandjari Hashemi, Multidisciplinary Artist and Spiritual Coach. (Image copyright: Danial Emani)

London based Iranian artist, Maryam Sandjari Hashemi, will deliver this creative workshop, sharing her artwork and her journey as a migrant artist with participants. Maryam’s work brings past and present together reflecting her personal journey from Iran to the UK and aspects of both cultures.  

Participants are invited to bring an object and share its story with the group, and will be actively creating artwork using drawing, collage and other techniques. No previous experience of creating art is required for this workshop, just some along and have fun.  

About Maryam:  

Maryam Sandjari Hashemi is a Multidisciplinary Artist and a Spiritual Coach. Her art practice includes Visual Art, Performance and Textile rooted in her upbringing in Iran and inspired by her colourful everyday life. Her paintings have been telling the story of her life journey and she has been exploring different themes such as identity and inner ecology. Most of her works are dense with information and imagery that communicates with viewers subconscious mind often acting like portals that could take viewers on a deep psychedelic journey.  

Maryam has run many community art workshops for diverse groups especially migrants and refugees focussing on creating a playful atmosphere where participants could feel safe to express themselves and empowered to explore different artistic techniques. Her workshops are accessible and suitable for all artistic abilities and she especially encourages participants with little or no experience in creating art.  

The workshop will take place in the Templeman Library – Room D G 02 – near the Nexus area. 

Please email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book/register your place. 

 

Wednesday 14th June 2023: 1pm  

Archiving Stories of Migration: Paul Dudman and Beth Astridge 

Portrait head and shoulder image of Paul Dudman, wearing a shirt and glasses and looking towards the camera

Paul Dudman, Archivist, University of East London

This thought-provoking workshop will be delivered by Paul Dudman, Archivist at the University of East London where he is responsible for the Refugee Council Archive, and Beth Astridge, University Archivist at the University of Kent. The workshop will explore examples of how stories of migration and movement can be reflected in archive collections and some of the challenges in capturing the life experiences of refugees in the archive record.  

Paul and Beth will provide a range of examples from archive collections for participants to view and encourage group discussion about the stories that these different archives tell. Groups will then be encouraged to consider the challenges and ethics of recording stories and experiences of migration and movement using scenarios and examples in the collections at the University of East London.  

The workshop will take place in the Templeman Library – Room A 1 08 – next to the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room and offices. Please email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book/register your place. 

About Paul:  

Paul Dudman is the Archivist at the University of East London Archives whose collections include the Refugee Council Archive. Paul’s research interests are focussed on refugee history and the role of archives in documenting and preserving the personal narratives and life histories of migration.  

Paul is the Editor for the journal Displaced Voices: A Journal of Archives, Migration and Cultural Heritage, hosted on the Living Refugee Archive online portal, and is a co-convenor of the IASFM (International Association for the Study of Forced Migration) Working Group for the Archiving and Documentation of the History of Forced Migration.

About Beth:  

Beth Astridge is the University Archivist in Special Collections and Archives at the University of Kent. In May/June 2022 Beth collaborated with Basma El Doukhi to deliver a co-curated exhibition – Reflections on the Great British Fish and Chips, where volunteers explored the University Special Collections and Archives for items relating to the theme of migration, movement and global food production.  

Head and shoulders image of Beth Astridge looking at the camera wearing glasses and a black top

Beth Astridge, University Archivist, University of Kent

 

Wednesday 21st June 2023: 2.00pm

Migrants, Fish and Chips, and Britishness: a talk by Professor Panikos Panayi, Professor of European History, De Montfort University   

Portrait image, head and shoulders, of Professor Panikos Panayi, looking directly at the camera and wearing a blue suit and tie with a bookcase in the background

Professor Panikos Panayi, Professor of European History, De Montfort University

Professor Panikos Panayi will deliver this mouth-watering talk on the history of Britain’s most popular take-away meals, and explore the role of migrant communities in the development of the fish and chip trade.  

Panikos was featured in the exhibition ‘The Great British Fish and Chips’ originally displayed at the Turner Contemporary, Margate and Canterbury Cathedral in June 2021. In June 2022, the University of Kent Special Collections and Archives hosted a new viewing of the exhibition. This was exhibited alongside a co-curated display of original archives from the University’s collections, selected by a volunteer group of researchers, with a focus on migration, movement and global food production. Professor Panayi’s talk will provide an opportunity to see the original exhibition panels once again.    

The talk will take place in the Templeman Library – Room D G 02 – near the Nexus area. Please email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk to book/register your place. 

About Panikos:  

Professor Panikos Panayi is Professor of European History at De Montfort University. He has published widely and his research interests include the history of immigration and interethnic relations, the history of food, the First World War, German history, the history of London, and the history of the Cypriot people. 

Professor Panayi’s research into the history of Fish and Chips was published in 2014 as ‘Fish and Chips: A History’. In the book he unwraps the origins of fish and potato eating in Britain, and describes the meal’s creation during the 19th century. He also explores the connection with issues of class and identity and the extensive ethnic affiliations of the dish. Fried fish was widely consumed by immigrant Jews before spreading to the English working classes in the early nineteenth century, and by the 20th century other migrant communities such as Italians played a leading role in the fish-and-chip trade.   

An intern’s experience: Jenni-Rose Nicholl

We were lucky enough to work with student Jenni during her internship from March to April 2023, as part of her Classical & Archaeological Studies course at the University of Kent.

Jenni worked on a variety of collections during her time with us, including the Colin Seymour-Ure and Holt Bairnsfather collections in the British Cartoon Archive, the Papers of the Shirley Foundation collection in the UK Philanthropy Archive, and the Max Tyler Music Hall collection. She also assisted us with facilitating seminars and school visits. Jenni writes about her experience below.

Objects from the Holt Bairnsfather collection being sorted and packaged in our workroom.

An internship is designed in its nature to provide the intern with real-world experience in the relevant field of work they are completing their study in. Having recently completed my internship with the University of Kent’s archive team, it can safely be said that I have gained a tremendous amount of experience and hands-on professional context in which to take my degree further.

From my first day being shown around the archives by the incredibly knowledgeable Clair Waller, my mind was blown by the sheer amount of work and effort that our incredible archivists do every single day in order to keep the University archives, alongside the British Cartoon archive, up to date and relevant for today’s scholars and students alike. By far my personal favourite part of the internship was cleaning the books given to the archives team from individual’s personal collections [ed – the Colin Seymour-Ure collection], being carefully instructed as to the care and management of dirty and weak covers and how to prevent the books from deteriorating further.

A portrait of Professor-Colin-Seymour-Ure

Professor-Colin-Seymour-Ure

Whilst partaking in my internship I was regularly using a scanner and uploading photos in an organised manner onto the computer, something a self-confessed technophobe such as myself found greatly beneficial for future employment as well as daily life. A career in archaeology would not be such without numerous types of paperwork in which listing remains crucial.

A photograph of Dame Stephanie Shirley standing in front of a large promotional sign at the 2019 Linkedin Summit, Talent Connect On Tour.

Dame Stephanie Shirley at the February 2019 Linkedin Summit. Papers of the Shirley Foundation.

Through my internship I was instructed in the use of listing sheets and how to correctly fill them out directly benefiting my future prospects in the archaeological field. My internship has greatly grown my confidence in a professional environment and with the instruction of Clair Waller, Beth Astridge and Karen Brayshaw, I have gained invaluable experience and fond memories for my future career.

A photogrpah of Jenni's hand holding a book that has been laid between boards and wrapped with cotton tying tape.

An example of a book Jenni cleaned before applying a bit of collections care by wrapping the book between boards using cotton tying tape. This helps to preserve the book, providing support to otherwise fragile or damaged bindings.

 

 

 

Happy Birthday James Bond!

Seventy years ago on 13th April 1953, Ian Fleming published his first James Bond novel – Casino Royale. To note this anniversary, at the beginning of April our fabulous intern Jenni Nicholl who is studying an MA in Curating, used our British Cartoon Archive collections to look at where the James Bond character has featured in our collections. We hope you enjoy this sample of cartoons from Jenni!

Bond, James Bond.

A line synonymous with the Bond franchise, James Bond represents to the world an idealised version of the British upper class through the representation of decorum, humour and seemingly, suave middle-aged men. Due to this, cartoons depicting Bond have been used widely in many circles such as politics and comedy in order to portray the seriousness or lack thereof of many matters concerning society through different time periods which is extremely well encapsulated in the British Cartoon Archive of The University Of Kent.

A brilliant use of the James Bond franchise within the political cartoons seen throughout the 1990s’ is Michael Cummings ‘fishbowl’ view of the fight between democracy and communism. This post-Cold War decade marked the end of the Soviet Union and so the battle of communism vs democracy was largely felt to be won by the side of the democrats with the individuals looking into the screen surmising that the hero always wins in the end of the Bond films, which however whilst actually looking at the screen, doesn’t appear to be true with Bond grasping for the democratic side under bombardment.

Cartoon in black and white showing a swimming pool with two people looking at the scene. In the pool a man (Mikhail Gorbachev) wearing swimming trunks labelled 007 has dived into the pool from a diving board labelled with a hammer and sickle (representing communism), and is swimming towards a ladder to get out of the pool. The ladder is labelled 'Democracy'. As he swims he is trying to avoid multiple attacks or obstacles including a crocodile with it's mouth open, a shark, a missile, a bullet coming out of a gun, an octopus, a bomb dropping from the sky, and a tiger prowling around the edge of the pool.

Michael Cummings, “What’s so nice about the James Bond films is that the hero always wins in the end”, Daily Express, 7th February 1990. British Cartoon Archive, Ref: CU1641. (Copyright: Express Syndication)

Whilst the cartoons may be used for political satire, the Bond Franchise was also used in the comedic arena in order to portray very normal aspects of daily life. Within this cartoon James Bond can be seen delivering his infamous line to his Facebook audience revealing his entire name, despite the nature of his job, with his supervisor urging caution. This may also give reference to the fact that despite building their foundations as the secret backbone of the safety of Britain and the monarchy, the MI6 building is one of the best known and most visited throughout London.

Colour cartoon showing a man in a blue suit at a computer terminal with the text showing on the screen "The name's Bond...James Bond". Another man in a green suit stands behind the first man and says "You want to be careful what you put on Facebook 007".

Tim Sanders, “You want to be careful what you put on Facebook 007”. The Independent, 11 June 2013. British Cartoon Archive, Ref: 99154 (Copyright: Tim Sanders).

Satire mixed with solemnity gives rise to a brilliant cartoon by Dave Brown depicting the MI6 disaster of the 14th of May 1999 in which a former officer leaked hundreds of names of agents some of whom were on active duty abroad and whose lives were put in serious danger. The cartoon highlights the nonchalant nature of the internet and the ease at which such an integral aspect of society can be broken and represents the fragility of the British security system.

Black and white cartoon showing Bond villain 'Blofeld' with his cat sitting on a armchair - viewed between the legs of James Bond standing as if immediately infront of the viewer and framing the cartoon - holding a gun down alongside his right leg. Blofeld is saying 'Resistance is futile Mr Bond... I have a web site and I'm not afraid to use it!'. Blofeld is using a computer mouse in one hand and stroking his cat with the other.

Dave Brown, “Resistance is futile Mr Bond…”, The Independent, 14 May 1999. British Cartoon Archive, Ref: DB0197A. (Copyright: Dave Brown).

Though the situation may prove to be humorous, Theresa May would have to disagree as Mr. Avila, who was due to be deported back to his country of birth, was allowed to stay in England as he cared for a cat. This hilarious situation caused such a political uproar that it was used as a point in order to stop the abuse of Labour’s Human Rights Act which were occurring during 2011.

Colour cartoon showing James Bond pointing a gun at Blofeld, sitting on a chair holding his cat, with two women standing behind him. The caption reads: You'll never get rid of me Mr Bond! They'll never deport me while I have a cat to care for'.

Michael Heath, “You’ll never get rid of me Mr Bond! They’ll never deport me while I have a cat to care for’.” Mail on Sunday, 9 October 2011. British Cartoon Archive, Ref: 95323. (Copyright: Associated Newspapers Ltd/Solo Syndication)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curated and written by Jenni Nicholl, April 2023. 

 

The 50/50 Project: Celebrating 50 Years of the British Cartoon Archive

Help us to select 50 cartoons representing 50 years of the British Cartoon Archive!

We are looking for volunteers to participate in a project to explore and select 50 cartoons from across the British Cartoon Archive collections to feature in an exhibition in the Templeman Gallery. The project will take place on Mondays, 11am-4pm, throughout June 2023.  The exhibition will be on display from September to November 2023.

This is an opportunity to get hands-on with our cartoon collections and be involved with our celebration activities for the 50th anniversary of the British Cartoon Archive. Volunteers will receive a tour of the collections, training in searching our catalogues and writing captions, and an opportunity to gain experience in selecting material and curating an exhibition. Remote participation is also available.

Get in touch with us for more information or to volunteer to take part. We would love to hear from you: specialcollections@kent.ac.uk

And now – enjoy a selection of cartoons from the British Cartoon Archive marking other 50th anniversaries!

Black and white cartoon of a mug with a royal crest and a central depiction of Queen Elizabeth II jumping on a bouncy castle with a corgi with a label above reading Children's Tea Party

Cartoon marking the 50th Anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II – Patrick Blower, “50th Anniversary Mug”, Evening Standard, 2nd June 2013. (Reference: British Cartoon Archive, Cuttings, 65815)

Black and white cartoon of a residential street with park gates, with Grandma, Vera, George Junior, Stinker and the twins (members of the Giles Family) standing on the pavement. George Junior is chaining Grandma's foot to the railings while she looks the other way.

“Fifty Years Ago…”- Giles cartoon featuring Grandma and Vera from the Giles Family, showing George Junior and Stinker chaining Grandma to the park gates as a prank. A poster held by one of the children notes the 50th Anniversary of Votes for Women. Ronald Carl Giles, Daily Express, 6th February 1968. (Reference: GAN1736)

Black and white cartoon titled Happy 50th Birthday Ikea..., showing a man drinking a glass of Moet champagne at Ikea HQ and another man reading instructions for how to drink: 1. Hold glass firmly in hand, 2. Empty Contents into mouth, 3. Swallow...

“Happy 50th Birthday Ikea” – Cartoon marking the 50th Birthday of Ikea in 2006. Neil Kerber and David Black, Daily Mirror, 30th June 2006. (Reference: British Cartoon Archive, Cuttings, 87975)

Black and white cartoon showing a poster on a wall reading Dr Who 50th Anniversary and a Dalek on a stair lift

“Dr Who 50th Anniversary” – Cartoon marking the 50th Anniversary of Dr Who in 2013. Matt [Matthew Pritchard], Sunday Telegraph, 24th November 2013. (Reference: British Cartoon Archive, Cuttings, 99878)

Colour cartoon showing Queen Elizabeth II drinking a glass of champagne with a man, below a poster reading "Blue Peter 50th Birthday Party". The Queen says "Who invited the elephant" and is depicted standing in a pile of elephant dung, next to one of her Corgis.

“Who invited the elephant?” – Cartoon marking the 50th Birthday of Blue Peter in 2008, depicting Queen Elizabeth II. Nicholas Newman, Sunday Times, 19th October 2008. (Reference: British Cartoon Archive, Cuttings, 90501)

Wally ‘Trog’ Fawkes (1924-2023)

We were very saddened to hear of the death of Wally Fawkes last week, who passed away at the age of 98 on Wednesday 1st March 2023. Fawkes (also known by his pen-name ‘Trog’) was a revered cartoonist and illustrator with a talent for caricature and an instantly recognisable style. Johanna Fawkes said of her father, “He was warm, funny and thoughtful. Everybody adored him”.

Wally Fawkes

Walter (“Wally”) Ernest Fawkes was born in Vancouver, Canada on 21 June 1924. He moved to England with his mother, siblings, and stepfather in 1931. He loved comics from a young age and from the age of 14 studied at Sidcup Art School for a short time before the outbreak of war in 1939. During the war, Wally worked at Woolwich docks, painting camouflage on factory roofs in an effort to protect them from bombing. This effort was not rewarded as the docks were flattened during the blitz in 1940. Wally did not serve in the war due to a bout of pleurisy, instead working for the Coal Commission tracing maps.

 

Fawkes’ artistic talent was discovered in 1942 after he took part in an art competition at work that was judged by the Daily Mail’s political cartoonist, Leslie Illingworth. Illingworth was impressed and got him a job drawing for the Clement Davies advertising agency. Then in June 1945 on Fawkes’ twenty-first birthday Illingworth found him a job at the Daily Mail, where he was tasked with creating decorative illustrations and column breakers.

A photograph of Fawkes at his drawing desk

Fawkes married journalist Sandy Boyce-Carmichelle in 1949, with whom he went on to have four children, Johanna, Kate, Sarah and Jamie. Sadly, Sarah passed away at a young age. Wally and Sandy were divorced in 1964, but Wally found love again with Susan Clifford, who he married and had two more children with, Lucy and Daniel.

In 1949, the Daily Mail’s owner, Lord Rothermere, asked Fawkes to illustrate a cartoon strip, ‘Flook’. Originally created by Douglas Mount in 1949, the strip ran for 35 years in the Daily Mail before moving to the Mirror in 1984, and featured many writers throughout its lifetime.

FO0025, [No caption], Daily Mail, 25 Apr 1949. ©Associated Newspapers Ltd. / Solo Syndication

The name of the strip was originally named after its redheaded character ‘Rufus’, but this was quickly changed to ‘Rufus and Flook’, before finally becoming known as simply ‘Flook’. By the early 1950s, the strip was one of the Daily Mail’s most popular features, and was syndicated to the United States and New Zealand.

A Flook model hiding in the archives

When the news broke that Fawkes was leaving the Daily Mail in 1984, the Daily Mirror signed him up, with Flook transferring to them in that October. They announced the transfer with the following cartoon:

38393, [No caption], Daily Mirror, 19 Nov 1984. ©Mirrorpix

An accomplished clarinet player, the pen name ‘Trog’ comes from one of Fawkes’ early jazz bands, ‘The Troglodytes’. Fawkes went on to play in the ‘George Webb Dixielanders’ with trumpet player and fellow cartoonist Humphrey Lyttleton in 1944. Later they co-founded ‘Humphrey Lyttleton and His Band’ in the late 1940s. Fawkes left Lyttelton’s band in 1956, but continued to play with various groups throughout his life. In the late 1950s he established a jazz club night at the Six Bells, Chelsea with fellow musician Jim Goldbolt that became known as ‘Trog’s Club’.

When Illingworth retired in 1969, Fawkes took his position as political cartoonist at the Daily Mail. However, this position did not last long, with Fawkes being replaced with Stan ‘Mac’ McMurtry in 1971 when David English took control of the paper. During his career, Fawkes drew for many publications, notably the Observer and Punch, but also the Spectator, New Statesman, Sunday Telegraph, Today, London Daily News, and Private Eye.

WF0113, [No caption], Sunday Telegraph. ©Telegraph Media Group Ltd

Fawkes was one of the founding members of the British Cartoonists’ Association, established in 1966, alongside Kenneth Mahood and John Jensen. He was twice the winner of Granada TV’s ‘What the Papers Say’ Cartoonist of the Year Award, the US Cartoonists’ and Writers’ Syndicate World Award 1976, International Political Cartoonist of the Year (1976), CCGB Humorous Strip Cartoonist of the Year (1981), CAT Caricaturist of the Year (1997) and the CAT Lifetime Achievement Award (1997). In 2001, Fawkes received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Kent.

Fawkes retired from cartooning in 2005 at 81 as his sight began to fail, after 62 years in the business. His work continues to be popular today; the Cartoon Museum in London held an exhibition of his work in 2013, and the University of Kent’s British Cartoon Archive continue to make his work available to researchers, students and enthusiasts alike. His work was admired not only by the public, but also by his contemporaries.

“…there is an astonishingly sharp focus…particularly in the caricature, which makes the characters seem larger than life, as if seen under a brilliant light and a powerful lens…his blacks seeem to be blacker than black” Raymond Briggs[1]

“Very few artists can see a likeness the way he can, and catch it so completely. He doesn’t develop a hieroglyph for each politician and then simply reach for it each time it is needed. Every Trog caricature is carefully recrafted.” Nicholas Garland[2]

Wally by Flook, Daily Mirror, 16 Nov 1984. ©Mirrorpix

The British Cartoon Archive’s Fawkes Collection includes almost 3500 original artworks, 6600 original Flook strips, over 5000 cuttings and even one of the orange plastic squeaky Flook toys marketed by the Daily Mail. For a full biography, please see https://www.cartoons.ac.uk/cartoonist-biographies/s-t/WallyFawkes_Trog.html.

 

[1] Trog : Forty Graphic Years – the art of Wally Fawkes (introduction and commentary by Frank Whitford; foreword by Raymond Briggs), London: Fourth Estate, 1987, 191pp.

[2] Nicholas Garland “Undimmed, inimitable Trog”, Sunday Telegraph, 20 June 2004, Review p.7.