Guinness Time!

Three 1950s covers from the Guinness in-house magazine; artists are John Gilroy, Raymond Tooby, and A Games.

Here Comes the Sun

A magazine insert for Sun Life Assurance, dated 1952; the cover illustration was drawn by 'Armitage', although he does not appear to be Joshua Armitage, also known as Ionicus, featured elsewhere in this blog.

Hoffnung Interlude

I was very surprised to read that Gerald Hofnung, well known musician and humorist, was only 34 when he died in 1959. These cartoons appeared in Lilliput magazine, issue dated August/September 1953.

Have it Awayday

Saucy goings-on in the British Rail publicity department in the 1970s; the cartoonist of the right hand,1975, leaflet, was Styx, otherwise known as Leslie Harding (1920-80).

Mrs Dickens and her droopy Dundees.....

Advert for Echo margarine from Family Circle magazine, issue dated February 1969. The 'Mrs Dickens' would refer to the wife (or perhaps mother) of the artist, one Frank Dickens, creator of 'Bristow', the longest running strip cartoon by a single author, which ran for 41 years from 1961. Somewhere I have a pile of old Bristow books; I must search them out and do a few scans for a future post.......

Roy Raymonde's Fairy Tales

A lusty take on some traditional fairy tales, as re-told by cartoonist Roy Raymonde (1929-2009) in Mayfair magazine, issue 5/2 (1970).

The temptation of Adam

Hmm... a naked woman or a naked woman with stockings? No contest really!

From Mayfair magazine, issue 5/9 (1970); the artist was Norman Mansbridge (1911-93).

Claude Seere

Another jumble sale, another blog. I picked up a copy of The Car, a book of, often quite dark, cartoons on motoring, very much from a French perspective. This was an English edition from 1984, featuring the work of the excellent Claude Seere. Born in 1938, he died, ironically, in a road accident in 1998.

Yardley by Emett

I don't think that Rowland Emett produced many drawings for advertisements. This is the only one that I have come across so far, for Yardley lavender products, that appeared in the 6 December 1958 issue of Picturegoer magazine, drawn in his typically whimsical style. Shades of the Far Tottering and Oystercreek Railway here!

Heath Robinson Absurdities

This collection of William Heath Robinson's illustrations originally appeared in 1934, this copy being a 1975 re-issue, bought recently in a charity shop in Egham. Absurdities features more of his well-known contraptions as well as more general humorous work, such as Christmas Eve and the Toy Railway. Both are equally delightful and still very funny. Heath Robinson's world looked a fine place to live.

Blighty

New arrivals into the Vintage Stuff archives are two copies of the humorous men's magazine, Blighty,  these from January 1951.

The magazine was originally published in 1916, for troops serving in the war, ceasing in 1920. It was resurrected in 1939, continuing into the 1950s, offering stories, features and cartoons (often risqué, at least for the period), again, aimed mainly at men. By the mid-1950s, pin-ups were appearing on the cover and the name was changing; by 1960 it was a proper men's magazine, Parade, continuing as such until 1974, when the contents became more explicit.

Ronald Searle at Punch

Ronald Searle produced a lot of illustrations for Punch magazine during the 1950s/60s; here are a trio of covers from 1962 & 1963.

Funny Game, Cricket

A little light reading, as the rain continues to fall at Edgbaston...................

Ronald Searle

A belated tribute to the late Ronald Searle (1920-2011), this from the May 1948 issue of London Opinion and The Humorist.

Brian Walker

A book that has been sitting on my bookshelf for many years is a 1968 copy of How To Be a Motorist and Stay Happy' by George Haines. It is a very funny look at the trials and tribulations of car-ownership and how to survive it. Although I have never actually been a driver (I've driven a steam locomotive further than I have a car - never let your dad try to teach you!), the subjects covered seem quite familiar, such as learners, the Sunday driver and even down to avoiding authority and road rage, everything I suppose, except speed cameras. (I do recall reading of an early motorist, caught speeding by two constables using a stop-watch, however).

It was the illustrations accompanying the text that have always attracted me, the artist being Brian Walker, who, according to the notes on the dust-jacket, was better known for his 'decorative atmospheric drawing' and can play the tuba. A Google search reveals that he later drew for DC Thomson comics,  and later for IPC in Whizzer & Chips. His drawings seem to capture the period well. Enjoy.