Ian Dickson - Gags Cartooning from Men Only

Another selection of New Zealand cartoonist Ian Dickson's gag cartoons from Men Only circa 1940-1950's. View more Men Only cartoons here. Biographical notes and further samples of Dickson's work here.

 

Ian Dickson

Another selection of New Zealand cartoonist Ian Dickson's gag cartoons from Men Only circa 1940-1950's. View more Men Only cartoons here. Biographical notes and further samples of Dickson's work here.

Ian Dickson

 

 
Previous biographical notes on Dunedin born cartoonist Ian Dickson here. Selection of Dickson cartoons below from Men Only magazine published in England circa 1940s-early 1950s.

English Comics Diversion: Men Only

Comics and cartoonists from England were my entry point to comics and are still an interest, particularly material from the 1950's to early 1980's. I've been wanting to write about some of the work of this period and share samples of art so rather than start another blog I'll be posting the occasional English Comics Diversion here. The impression I get from my Internet trawlings is that the history of English comics and cartooning are severely underwritten about in comparison to the wealth of material available on American comics.

My particular favorite sites that cover English comics are Steve Holland's Bear Alley, Lew Stringer's Blimey!, the Comics UK  Forum, Paul Gravett, The Forbidden Planet Blog and Down the Tubes.

Whilst researching Ian Dickson I picked up a box of Men Only magazine digests from the late forties and early fifties. Men Only in this era comprised stories, articles and dozens of cartoons and illustrations in each issue. Peynet, Ronald Searle, Norman Mansbridge, Wyndham Robinson were amongst contributors to the pages of Men Only with distinctive caricature covers provided by Irish cartoonist Edward Sylvester Hynes (1872 - 1982).

Ian Dickson

Ian Dickson

Ian Oscar Dickson was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, on 15 January 1905 and emigrated with his family to Melbourne, Australia, in 1913. Dickson, a self-taught artist, had work published in the Adelaide Register News Pictorial, the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin, the Brisbane Telegraph and illustrated tourist brochures for the Queensland government.

 The Rockhampton Morning Bulletin 24 June 1932

Dickson eventually emigrated to England and found work with film companies and Razzle magazine. In the early thirties Dickson spent several months in Ceylon and after a period back in Australia he relocated there to work for the Times of Ceylon and Ceylon Observer. In 1935 Dickson returned to England where he produced work for Punch, London Opinion, Men Only and Blighty. Dickson was a prolific contributor to these men's digests with some issues featuring three or four pages of his work. During the War Dickson served with the Royal Air Force.

 

Original art possibly from Razzle circa 1950's via Illustration Art Gallery

Dickson was a member of the British Cartoonists Club founded in 1960 and appeared in the 1962 Cartoonists album alongside compatriots David Low and Keith Waite. Over this period the ever prolific Dickson was contributing cartoons to the Daily Mirror and Daily Sketch as well as producing  'Mum' weekly at the Sunday Graphic for fifteen years.

In the fifties and sixties Dickson contributed three or four panel gag strips for Eagle, Girl and Swift Annuals from Hulton Press. Dickson died 21st July 1987.

Girl Annual Nine 1961

Girl Annual Nine 1961

 Girl Annual Nine 1961

 Girl Annual Nine 1961

 

Samples of Ian Dickson's work for Men Only

Men Only July 1950

Men Only July 1950

Men Only May 1950

Men Only May 1950

Men Only May 1950

Men Only September 1949

Men Only March 1954

Men Only March 1954

 Men Only March 1954

 Men Only November 1951

Men Only September 1949 

Sources: http://illustrationartgallery.blogspot.com, Men Only 1946-1954, British Cartoonist's Album, Dictionary of British Cartoonists and Caricaturists 1730-1980 compiled by Mark Bryant and Simon Heneage, http://bearalley.blogspot.com.