Giles and the snow cartoon

January 22, 2013 in Comment, News

"I've told the hospital we've got an ambulance driver fallen head over tip – want to hear what they said?" © Carl Giles

Snow has fallen across the UK over recent days and, as usual, we all act as though this has never happened before. Here’s proof that is has: a cartoon by Carl Giles, the acknowledged master of the snow cartoon, from 1979.

This is about the public sector strikes in the January of that year, popularly known as the Winter of Discontent. It’s a great example of Giles’ “less is more” approach to drawing snow. See more Giles cartoons at the British Cartoon Archive.

Spotted any other good snow cartoons? Let us know in the comments below.

Tags: Carl Giles, Giles cartoons, newspaper cartoons, snow cartoons

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4 responses to Giles and the snow cartoon

BRIGHTY said on January 23, 2013

I loved Giles work. Christmas was never the same when we ran out of Giles annuals. His snow scenes are indeed wonderful, and now that I’m in exile in the Land Of Engs, I love driving around rural areas and seeing the typical countryside scenes that Giles often drew all around me. Of course there was much more to his work than those, although he was never what we would call a ‘political cartoonist’, topical as most of his work was. He reflected British/English life.

I think there are cartoonists who can regularly and consistently make you laugh heartily with their gags, where the draftsmanship is secondary to the punchline, while others make you smile broadly through their drawing before you even get to the punchline.

And while I did, and still do find much laughter in Giles cartoons (often not where you’d necessarily be looking for it, such was the richness of detail in his creations), for me it was often far more about the drawing than the gag it delivered. The gags were almost a bonus, but they were certainly there for me. Perhaps rarely side-splitting, but I honestly believe that a knowing smile is the greater achievement, if you can get one on a consistent basis.
BRIGHTY said on January 23, 2013

As for other snow cartoons, I enjoyed a real knowing smile at Mac’s in yesterday’s Mail…
BRIGHTY said on January 23, 2013

Sorry – that link didn’t include the punchline.

Try this one, and type in January 22nd if more have been added.
BRIGHTY said on January 23, 2013

Or just hit ‘previous’ till you get to it. D’oh!

1 trackback

“It doesn’t show signs of stopping” – UK snow cartoons | Procartoonists.org
on January 25, 2013