Merry England

 

'May I have the pleasure?'

 inscribed "Merry England (page 37) London 1956" 

"Remembrance of things past..."

Published within Punch on 21 December 1955, p. 733 as one of five drawings under the title 'May I Have the Pleasure?' and also within the artist's Merry England (1957) on p. 38

'The Pipes! The Pipes!' 

- The Edinburgh International Festival of Drama Opens Tomorrow

 

Illustrated: News Chronicle, Saturday cartoon issue, August 21, 1954

Literature: Ronald Searle, 'Merry England', Perpetua Books, London, 1956, pp.106-107.

"If music be the food of love..."

Published in Punch, 14 March 1956, page 314. 

Also published within Searle's Merry England (London, 1957), page 100.

'May I have the pleasure?'

inscribed "Merry England (page 37) London 1956"

Inspired by Sandro Botticelli's celebrated painting "The Birth of Venus", this large caricature was first published in Punch (May, 1953), and again in Searle's Merry England, London, 1956, p.91

Photo album

More here in Searle: a Photographic Portrait

Le Figaro

As Searle began to branch out into editorial and illustration assignments on the Continent during the 1950s he did several cartoons for French newspaper Le Figaro Littéraire.

Perdu dans le Labyrinthe Londonien, pen and ink, 12 x 13.5", Figaro, 18 February, 1955

Vroomp!!! Crrakk!! Zok!!! (1966)
Pen and wash, 35.2 x 49.1 Collection Monica Searle
Le Figaro Littéraire, October 20, 1966

The Square Egg & The Vicious Circle (1968), Page 15
Ronald Searle (1973) Cabinet des Estampes, Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, Catalogue number 153
Searle & Searle (2001), Catalogue number 16, page 39

 From Stephen Nadler's  'Attempted Bloggery' site



Also:

FIGARO LITTERAIRE (LE) N° 1072 DU 03/11/1966 - LES ALLEMANDS VUS PAR RONALD SEARLE ET HEINZ HUBER 

Ici Londres N°368 25 Fevrier 1955 - Ronald Searle Maître De L'humour Noir -

ECHO REVUE INTERNATIONALE N° 26 DU 01/10/1948 - RONALD SEARLE

 LIBERATION N° 6055 DU 03/11/2000 -RONALD SEARLE CROQUE LA VIE.

Stop, Magazine Arristique et Littéraire N° 72 - Ronald Searle - la Blonde du Texas - Barbarella - la Femme Modele

Punch

Searle functioned in various capacities for Punch magazine throughout the 50s. I've posted his theatre caricatures, Searle's Eye View, political page and cover art. He also made cartoon spot illustrations for humorous stories and more realistic illustrations for reports.

Punch January 28, 1959

'Tails Optional' by Eric Keown May 20, 1959

'Tails Optional' by Eric Keown May 20, 1959

Oct 16, 1957
A sensational drawing marking a visit to the U.S. by Queen Elizabeth II
(original exhibited at the London Cartoon Museum 2010)

November 5, 1951

May 2, 1956

 May 23, 1956

These are several illustrations that accompanied a story by Tom Girtin entitled 'Angels Unaware' in the May 16th, 1956 issue of Punch.

News Chronicle

'News Chronicle' featured a full page of Searle cartoons every week during the early fifties. He lampooned British life; humorous takes on everyday situations, events in and around London, art exhibitions and made portraits of notable people of the era and also people 'on the street'.

'HRH the Queen returns from a voyage'

'News Chronicle Saturday: issue Sept 19th

An original illustration for Merry England, etc., Perpetua Books, London, 1956, pp.3,7 and 82

An original illustration for News Chronicle, London, Issue 9, October 1954

Man's best friend "Dog racing/results up yet?/... and don't point/-its rude."

'Tulip Time'

An Illustration for the The News Chronicle, London, 22 May 1954 and Merry England, Etc. Perpetua Books, London 1956, pp. 12, 13 & 14

An original illustration for News Chronicle, 23 August 1954.

Holidays: Home from home: 'The Guest Book'

An original illustration for News Chronicle, London, 19 June 1954.

'Battersea fun fair'

'Burlington House' December 1953 The Royal Academy. Searle recycled the gag above with an object falling out of a painted canvas several times over his career. It deserves a post of its own.

'Summer' June 1954

'Sculpture Exhibition in Holland Park'  

News Chronicle: Saturday Sketch Book, London, 29 May 1954. 

In these sketches for the above that Searle probably made on site we see the artist searching for the 'gag'.

 

'Antique Dealer's Fair' 

News Chronicle, Saturday Sketchbook, 12 June 1954. 

Searle also made portraits of London's citizens, known and unknown,  for the newspaper. They would later be collected in 'Looking at London and People Worth Meeting (1953).
 

 

 'Portrait of Ian MacKay'; pen and brown ink, signed, dated 1952, bears inscription on the mount News Chronicle Searle WSS Feature

Roland Emett at the Festival of Britain News Chronicle, published, London, 12 June 1952 

'People Worth Meeting'.

Emlyn Williams as Charles Dickens

News Chronicle, London Issue, 30 October 1952.

'Portobello Rd. Market'

(Many of the images here are courtesy of the Chris Beetles Gallery, London)