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Little is known about Len Reynolds, a Tasmanian cartoonist who made his name in Melbourne, before dying tragically at the early age of 44.
Mr Melbourne
L.F. Reynolds was a cartoonist and illustrator with the Melbourne Sun Pictorial and Evening Sun , and then as staff artist on the Melbourne Herald. In 1925 he took over the 'Mr Melbourne' cartoon strip created by Jimmy Bancks. Mr Melbourne was a popular strip in the papers.1Prominent Personalities
During 1926-27 Reynolds produced a series of cartoons for the Melbourne based weekly newspaper 'Table Talk', with each drawing containing a selection of sketches. Most of these group sketches had a football theme.After these initial sketches, Reynolds produced a series entitled "Prominent Personalities" also in 'Table Talk'. This series produced a sequence of beautifully drawn illustrations on major Victorian personalities from politicians, to artists and also sportsmen. The quality and skill of Len Reynolds can best be seen through this series.
Indeed, Australian Impressionist artist Arthur Streeton thought highly of this series. Writing a critique of a show by Ray Whiting, Streeton wrote.
Caricature demands good draughtsmanship and a penetrating capacity to discover some individual trait or characteristic. This feature must be exaggerated to the extent of comic absurdity while the artist preserves an unmistakable likeness or sense of portraiture......Not since the brilliant caricatures by Low and George Finey, of Sydney, and the "prominent personalities" by L. F. Reynolds has anything been exhibited in Melbourne of any Interest until now.''2
Streetons own Australian Rules painting, 'The National Game', is part of the Collection of the Art Gallery of NSW.
Arthur Streeton - The_National Game 1889
Examples of L.F. Reynolds illustrations can be found in3:
- Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, TAS
- Castlemaine Art Gallery and Historical Museum, Castlemaine, VIC
- Melbourne Savage Club, Melbourne, VIC
- La Trobe Collection, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne, VIC
- National Library of Australia, Canberra, ACT
- Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW
Apart from newspaper illustrations, Reynolds drew cartoons for advertisements including 'The Lighter Side of Lawn Tennis' for Barnett Glass in 1927.
Reynolds regular illustrations stopped appearing in 'Table Talk' around 1930, though a series on dog breeds did later appear. It requires further investigation for when Reynolds stopped doing the 'Mr Melbourne' strip.
By Team
Carlton
Collingwood
|
Fitzroy
Footscray
Geelong
Hawthorn
Melbourne
North Melbourne
Richmond
St Kilda
South Melbourne
1930's
In 1936 Reynolds's first "one-man" show including Water-colours, etchings, and pencil drawings at Margaret Maclean's Gallery, Kodak House, Collins street.4Tragic Death
Tragically in August 1939, Len Reynolds died when his car went off a cliff in Beaumaris in Melbourne.Argus 22-Aug-1939 p9
Further Work Needed
Further examples of Reynolds work will be found in the Sun News Pictorial which is not yet available online. Further examples of his work will be found in that paper.Note - 4 images added 5-Nov-2017
Copyright Notes
Len Reynolds died in 1939. His works became public domain in 1989, 50 years after his death. Under Australia's current copyright laws, works for artists who died after 1954 have copyright extended to 75 after their death.Boyles Website Newsletter
Just us sending out an email when we post a new article.End Notes
1. http://www.daao.org.au/bio/len-reynolds/biography/ accessed Jun 2014
2. Caricatures and Paintings. (1934, August 7). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 5. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article10986229
3. http://www.daao.org.au/bio/len-reynolds/biography/ accessed Jun 2014
4. Art Show. (1936, October 6). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 8. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article11922579