Research help

On the Searle trail: I'm trying to trace the family of Prof. Robert H Butman who taught at Haverford College between the mid 50s to the 1980s. I found his obituary with family members but I'm stuck there unable to find them. Anybody experienced at tracking descendants? I'm hoping to find his son Christopher John James Butman.

Lilliput pt.1

Lilliput magazine was a popular, pocket sized magazine of the 1940s-50s. Searle's work for the magazine fell into two styles; the broad cartoons of St. Trinians and the Patrick Campbell series; and more naturalistic illustrations accompanying short stories.

'Life in the Studio' 1946

These two studies are in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.

Two sketches for 'Artist & Model' a cartoon for Lilliput magazine. Searle thoroughly explored the composition and forms of his figures before working up the final drawing. It looks like the first one was almost final then abandoned?

The same here: a study and a more worked up final but I'm not aware of them seeing publication in Lilliput.

October 1946

'"GIRLS, GIRLS! - A LITTLE LESS NOISE, PLEASE"' Lilliput, October 1946.
 Hurrah for St. Trinian's, London, 1948. 

January 1947 

'Cave!'
Lilliput, January 1947.

Hurrah for St. Trinian's, London, 1948, p. 57. 

March 1947

'The Place Where it Happened'

A Report by Honor Tracy

Lilliput magazine May 1949

'The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag'

A Short Story byJim Corbett

Lilliput magazine April-May 1951

'All Correct, Sir

A Short Story by Bill Naughton

Lilliput magazine May-June 1951

'Maisie was a Lady

A Short Story by Paul Vincent Carroll

Lilliput magazine June-July 1951

'Honesty's A Jewel'

A Short Story by Roderick Milton

Lilliput magazine Nov-Dec 1951

Searle only illustrated two covers for the magazine as far as I know.

Many of Searle's contemporaries worked for the magazine too; James Fitton, Anton, Walter Trier, Gerald Hoffnung et al. and it was well known as a compendium of the best of British illustration in the 1950s. Even the Disney animators were familiar with it and an hommage found its way into 'One Hundred & One Dalmations' (1961), perhaps a tacit admission from a film which stylized its art direction directly after Searle's work.

Searle's artwork was so ubiquitous during this era that even in an issue absent of Searle's editorial illustrations there would still be advertisements illustrated by him.

See my Lilliput blog for more. . .

Summer Exhibition of self-portraits

I wish I could make it to haute-Provence for this summer show of Ronald's self-portraits in the village where he lived. The town also unveiled a memorial plaque above the front (back? -I was never sure!) door of his home.  His daughter Kate was there to represent the Searle family.

It looks like the exhibition has self-portraits from across Ronald's whole life-a testament to how long he lived! I've gathered many of them in this section.

Dragons

This cropped up on Twitter- E. Nesbit’s 'Book Of Dragons'. I'm unfamiliar with this book but it looks great and has been in print for a century! I'm not sure which edition features these wonderful Searle dragons but it looks like early Searle-perhaps late forties?

A similar dragon design appeared in this illustration for a Patrick Campbell story in Lilliput magazine.

This next one appeared in 'Haven't We Met Before Somewhere?' (1966)

A much later design featured in this 1982 drawing for a Lloyds Bank Brochure. 

#3 'Coping With the Unexpected in Farming' 1982

Menu

Restaurants and private clubs commissioned Searle to illustrate their menus, presumably to lend them an air of class or an ironic wink sending up their own stuffiness.

'Savage Club Ladies Night'

Published in Graphis #44 1952

Omar Khayyam Club menu 1955

Restaurant des Beaux Arts, St. Germaine, Paris

(see the post on the restaurant here)

Searle depicted the ceremonial entrance of the sommelier countless times over the years, skewering their pomp & circumstance with each drawing.

A private commission for the 'Chapitre de L'Equinoxe' the 413 Chapitre de la confrerie des chevaliers du tastevin. The dinner event marked the 50th anniversary year of the baptisme de l'Escorteur Rapide 'LE BOURGUIGNON" - a battleship!