Cartoons by Virgil Reilly, Joan Morrison, Frank Dunne, Stan Cross and Jim Russell, ca. 1904-2000

PXX 96

fonds

ca. 1904-2000

Graphic Materials, Drawings

911170

14 drawings (1 folder) - pen and ink - 52.8 x 51 cm or less

Virgil (1892-1974), cartoonist and illustrator. Always known as ‘Virgil’, the name he signed on all his work. In 1920 he joined Smith’s Weekly as a staff artist in Sydney where he remained until 1940. ‘Virgil girls’ in Smith’s were the sex symbols of Australia. They made him one of Australia’s best known and highly paid newspaper artists. For a time Virgil also drew the political cartoons in Smith’s. After leaving Smith’s Virgil became the political cartoonist on the Sydney Daily Mirror and the Melbourne Truth, then freelanced.

Joan Morrison (1911-1969), an accomplished mid 20th century cartoonist and book illustrator. Her cartoons, published in Man and Smith’s Weekly, were populated by sassy glamour girls that came to be known as ‘The Morrison Girl’ and during WW2 they were a popular pin-up among the troops. In 1929 she and Mollie Horseman were the first female cartoonists to be appointed to the permanent staff of Smith’s.

Frank Dunne (1898-1937), cartoonist and painter. He worked as a process engraver until he enlisted in 1915. After the war he worked on the Sunday Times and Truth, joining Smith’s Weekly as a cartoonist in 1928. He is best known for his Digger jokes in Smith’s. Dunne drew good political and civvy cartoons and was also a first-class painter.

Stan Cross (1888-1977), cartoonist. In 1918, he came to Sydney to work for Smith’s Weekly. He became its highest paid artist and second art editor. Cross was renowned for his Aboriginal (“Jacky”) jokes. Other subjects included anti-communist cartoons. Cross pioneered the comic strip in Australia in 1920 when he devised a running weekly commentary on the butter subsidy for Smith’s called 'You and Me’. 'Mr. Pott’ and 'Whalesteeth’ appeared in it and it led to his popular comic strip 'Mr and Mrs Potts’. Other strips by Cross were 'The Vaudevillians’, 'Norman and Rhubarb’, 'Dad and Dave’ and 'Wally and the Major’.

Jim Russell (1909-2001), cartoonist, caricaturist and comic strip artist. In 1928 Russell became Australia’s youngest political cartoonist, being employed on Sydney’s Evening News until the paper folded in 1931. He then worked for Smith’s Weekly. When Stan Cross left Smith’s in 1940, Jim Russell succeeded him as art editor and also took over drawing Cross’s comic strips, including You and Me, which he renamed Mr and Mrs Pott , from 1950 The Potts. He continued to draw it in the SMH until he died in 2001. When Smith's closed in 1950, Russell followed Cross to the Melbourne Herald and Weekly Times Ltd.

Reference:
Design and Art Australia Online. http://www.daao.org.au (accessed 11 July, 2013)

Cartoons about life and society. Below is a list of the captions to the cartoons.

Virgil Reilly
1. City Girl: ‘ What’s the matter Dave, why so down in the dumps?’ Dave: ‘ Aw, the old man cut half a day out of me pay because there was an eclipse of the moon.’
2. [Dave:] ‘Aw Dad don’t you think we oughter dress better now we’re working for the Bank?’
3. Flapper motorist: ‘Say, what’s this? A date or a book up?’
4. [Man:] What do you think of a girl who marries an old man for his money? [Woman:] ’ She deserves all she gets.’
5. Dave: ‘The Boss has gone camping with his wife.’ ‘Dan: ‘ Aw – he always did like variety.’
6. [Two women sitting on a low wall, beach and crowds in background]: [--?]things about my husband that ----?]ised to learn.’
7. First Darlinghurst Flatite (?): ‘ Don’t the private detectives look tired this morning, dear?’

Jim Russell
8. Fight Radio Announcer: ‘We will now cross back to the studio for slumber music.’

Joan Morrison
9. First Scene Shifter: ‘Nothing ever happens in this place, Joe.’ Second Scene Shifter: ‘No; same old scenery every night’.
10. Leap year interlude

Bowden (?)
11. [--?] To Hubby (12 kids at table also): ‘You’ve done nothin’ but neglect me ever since we was married an’ you can’t deny it.’

Stan Cross
12. Mary: ‘Where you goin?’ Jacky: ‘Ar. I snore so much I can’t get no sleep – so I’m goin’ to sleep in anudder room.’
13. ‘Stumpy! Come ‘ere an’ leave dat lightenin’ alone – you bite dat, it ‘ud blow de plurry tripes out o’ you’, (52.8 x 51 cm)

Frank Dunne
14. Padre (?): ‘What gave you the courage to attack six Germans singlehanded?’ Digger: ‘[-?] book. I opened it and saw red.’ (39 x 51 cm)

Copyright status:: In copyright - Life of creator plus 70 years

Pic.Acc. Upgrade Project - Information transferred from Pic.Acc.4907 as part of the eRecords Project 2013-14
PXX 96 (1 folder) transferred from PXD 1358/Boxes 1-2, Folder 1, 21 November 2023

All works signed and have captions

Date range based on active periods of artists. See Design & Art Australia Online. http://www.daao.org.au/bio/jim-russell/ (Accessed 15 July, 2013)