COLLINS John
A self portrait. Cartoons 1955-1959 by John Collins, no date.
Born 1917 in Washington DC. U.S.A.
He moved with his family to Canada in 1920.
In 1937 while studying at George William’s University (Montréal) which was later absorbed into Concordia University he sold his first cartoon to the Gazette [Montréal] in 1937 and became the Gazette’s first staff cartoonist in 1939.
Collin’s wartime cartoons were very popular and appeared in the New York Times and other publications.
In the 1950’s, his cartoons criticizing the government of the day became so outspoken that Minister of Defense Brooke Claxton threatened to sue him and the Gazette for defamation of character. Beginning in the 1940’s Collins created his own character, a moustached man in a battered hat and a barrel held up by a single suspender called “Uno Who”. The average Canadian looking askance at those in authority. He won National Newspaper Awards in 1954 and 1973. Although his entire career was with the Gazette, his cartoons appeared in various newspapers across Canada including the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, Sydney Post-Record, Ottawa Journal etc.
For hobbies he sketched sports activities and painted in watercolours.
WORK:
CARTOONIST:
BOOK GRAPHIC ANTHOLOGY:
Content editorial cartoon:
The Art of Political Cartooning in Canada/1980. Ed., Steve Bradley. For., Robert LaPalme. Virgo Press, Oct. 1980: 16, 71.
BOOK GRAPHIC COLLECTION:
Content editorial cartoon & Cover book front:
Cartoons 1955-1959by John Collins. Intro., Edgar A. Collard. No publishing information.
BOOK TEXT & GRAPHIC:
Content comment:
Fallacies of Socialism. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, 1961. This booklet contains editorial cartoons by Collins.
PERIODICAL TEXT:
Content editorial cartoon:
Family Herald & Weekly Star, Canada’s National Farm Magazine, …: “Editorial Viewpoint …”: … (All previously appeared in the Montreal Gazette) |
…, 25 January 1950: “…: “Putting His Head in the Lion’s Mouth”: 26.
…, 18 January 1951: “…: “The New Great Wall of China”: 26. …, 15 February 1951: “…: Come to Stay”: 26. …, 22 February 1951: “…: “Eliza”: 30. …, 13 May 1954: “: “What’s Hatching”: 2. |
SOURCE:
Article book:
Cartoons 1955-1959by John Collins. Intro., Edgar A. Collard. No publishing information.
The Hecklers. Writ. & Ed.., Peter Desbarates & Terry Mosher. McClelland & Stewart Ltd., 1979: 119, 233.
GALLERY:
Family Herald & Weekly Star, Canada’s National Farm Magazine, 25 January 1950: 26.
UNO WHO was Collin’s everyman and appeared regularly in his cartoons. Cartoons 1955-1959 by John Collins, no date.
The Gazette [Montréal], 28 April 1967.
An illustration for “Baseball’s origins?” writ., Peter McBride. The Spectator [Hamilton], 21 July 1979.