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  • Twenty-six drawings, designs for posters, book illustrations, covers and cartoons by the cartoonist Fougasse

Twenty-six drawings, designs for posters, book illustrations, covers and cartoons by the cartoonist Fougasse

[c.1923–54]

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Cyril Kenneth Bird (1887-1965) was born in London and studied engineering at Kings College, London. On active service in the First World War he was wounded at Gallipoli in 1915 and returned to Britain. No longer fit to work as a civil engineer he turned to drawing, in which he had been interested since his school-days, adopting the name "Fougasse", French for an exploding mine which might go off or not - he thought the same applied to his cartoons. His work first appeared in Punch in 1916 and in 1937 he became Editor of the magazine. He also designed posters (of which "Careless talk costs lives" is the best known) and illustrated books with his economical line drawings. These sketches give an excellent impression of Fougasse's incisive humour and talent as a cartoonist.

Collection Owner
Fougasse 1887–1965
Collection
Tate Archive
Acquisition
The drawings were presented to the Tate Gallery Archive in 1977 by the artist's widow, Mrs C.K. Bird.
Reference
TGA 7712

26 objects in this collection

  • Twenty-six drawings, designs for posters, book illustrations, covers and cartoons by the cartoonist Fougasse

    26 Objects

Title
Twenty-six drawings, designs for posters, book illustrations, covers and cartoons by the cartoonist Fougasse
Date
[c.1923–54]
Description

Cyril Kenneth Bird (1887-1965) was born in London and studied engineering at Kings College, London. On active service in the First World War he was wounded at Gallipoli in 1915 and returned to Britain. No longer fit to work as a civil engineer he turned to drawing, in which he had been interested since his school-days, adopting the name "Fougasse", French for an exploding mine which might go off or not - he thought the same applied to his cartoons. His work first appeared in Punch in 1916 and in 1937 he became Editor of the magazine. He also designed posters (of which "Careless talk costs lives" is the best known) and illustrated books with his economical line drawings. These sketches give an excellent impression of Fougasse's incisive humour and talent as a cartoonist.
Reference
TGA 7712

Showing 1–20 of 26 objects

Grid
List

Cartoon for Punch titled ‘Come and Try a Dip at Seaville’

Fougasse
[c.1923]
View by appointment

Cartoon for Punch captioned ‘The Passion for Politeness’

Fougasse
[c.1923]
View by appointment

Design for the King’s College Engineering Society Thirtieth Annual Dinner, November 28 1927

Fougasse
1927
View by appointment

Cartoon for Punch captioned ’...And now you are going to hear Sid Ambone singing ‘Tripe and Onions’’.

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Poster design for Cadbury’s Milk Chocolate

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Drawing of a burglar wearing an ‘L’ plate being tripped by the flex of a table lamp

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Drawing of a battleship with ‘L’ plate.

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Drawing of a man with an ‘L’ plate on his coat tails

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Drawing of two army officers, one with ‘L’ plate

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Drawing of train engine with ‘L’ plate

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Drawing of car bearing an ‘L’ plate with couple inside

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Drawing of a horse-rider with ‘L’ plate

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Drawing of a tight-rope walker with ‘L’ plate

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Drawing of a man riding an elephant with ‘L’ plate

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Design for end-papers of ‘You have been warned: A Complete Guide to the Road’, by Fougasse and McCullough

Fougasse
[c.1935]
View by appointment

Cartoon of Adolf Hitler for Punch magazine

Fougasse
[c.1940]
View by appointment

Cartoon for Punch titled ‘Mon Debris’

Fougasse
[c.1944]
View by appointment

Cartoon for Punch showing a porter balancing boxes on his head

Fougasse
[c.1945]
View by appointment

Cartoon for the 1948 Punch Almanack captioned ‘One of the Finest Views....’

Fougasse
[c.1948]
View by appointment

Cover design for the 1952 Punch Almanack

Fougasse
1952
View by appointment
Artwork
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