Anniversaries Comic history International

Australian Cartoonists Association is 100

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D. D. Degg July 17, 2024 1 minute 0 comments

The world’s oldest cartooning organization, the Australian Cartoonists Association, celebrates 100 years of existence today. (Well, yesterday because, you know, Australia.)

The Dictionary of Sydney gives us A Short History of the Black and White Artists’ Club by Lindsey Foyle:

On 17 July 1924, 24 cartoonists and one poet met to form the Society of Australian Black and White Artists. It was an unusual assembly as they mostly met in pubs and this gathering was in the studio of a cartoonist, Gayfield Shaw [1]. Shaw’s studio was on the first floor of the Royal Arcade which linked George and Pitt streets between Park and Market streets. [2] It was not far from the Sydney Town Hall and only a few blocks away from 126–130 Phillip Street where Smith’s Weekly and The Daily Guardian offices were, and where many of the founding members of the society worked. [3]

Cecil Hartt was elected the founding president. He was considered to be as handy with a glass as he was with a pencil. Hartt had worked as a freelance cartoonist in Sydney before World War I and had been wounded at Gallipoli. On returning home he learnt about Smith’s Weekly when gossiping in a pub [4]. He became the first artist to join the staff. Despite the fact that there had been newspapers around for about 500 years, the Society of Australian Black and White Artists was the first association of newspaper artists in the world. [5]

The Dictionary of Sydney also notes the various name changes of the organization through the years:

As part of the celebration The State Library of New South Wales is presenting A Century of Satire.

From long-forgotten political battles to contemporary issues like the cost of living, the rise of dictators, and the rights of First Nations people, Australian cartoonists and illustrators have created some of the most unforgettable and funny commentary ever printed in black and white, and colour — and some not fit to print. 

The Australian Society of Black and White Artists — now called the Australian Cartoonists Association — was the first of its kind in the world. Founded in Sydney in July 1924 by newspaper artists from outlets like Smith’s Weekly, The Bulletin and Daily Guardian, the organisation has seen many prolific and influential members over the past century.

Now 100 years on, visitors are invited to delve into a treasure trove of Australian humour and satire through the State Library’s extensive collection of black and white art. Highlights include the earliest drawings by Cecil Lawrence Hartt, one of Australia’s first newspaper cartoonists and the organisation’s founding president, artwork by Mr Squiggle creator Norman Hetherington, and recently acquired works by celebrated artists like John Shakespeare and Fiona Katauskas.

More about the centennial celebration at The Sydney Morning Herald.

Enjoy ACA’s Inkspot from the past fourteen years and yearbooks from the past ten.