Ian Gall b. 1904

Also known as Ian Gall, Ian S. Gall
  • Artist (Draughtsman),
  • Artist (Painter),
  • Artist (Cartoonist / Illustrator)
Prolific mid 20th century Brisbane cartoonist, painter, illustrator and journalist.
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cartoonist, painter, illustrator and journalist, was born and raised in Brisbane. He studied art at Brisbane Technical College. In the late 1920s he began sending work to the Bulletin , e.g. (two flappers) A Single Thought . '“I simply adore George.”/ “So does he”’ 1927 (ill. Rolfe, 270); The Soft Answer. 'Irate Wife: “However did I come to marry such a perfect idiot?”/ Humble Husband: “Just because I was such a perfect idiot, dear!”’ Bulletin 1928, original ink cartoon, QAG (ill. Radford, 71) – not as sinister as others in the Bulletin ; The philosopher. “Was it a very fashionable wedding?”/ The flapper: “Fashionable! Why even the champagne bottles wore garlands of frangipani”’ 1929 (ill. Rolfe, 280); (very Beardsley-like androgynous pair in top hats, veils and long cloaks) Dreams/ MEG: “Are you thinking of buying anything?”/ PEG: “No – not a thing.”/ MEG: “Oh well, then, let’s go and look at something frightfully expensive”’ 30 March 1929; How Percival Felt About It (small groom and large bride, very stylishly drawn) n.d. (ill. Rolfe, 262). ML Bulletin collection has five original drawings 1929-30 and 40 caricatures 1929-37, including one of Ann Weinholt’s father.

Gall is said to have begun drawing for the Brisbane Courier as well as continuing with the Bulletin during the Great Depression, and for a time he was relieving cartoonist on the Melbourne Herald . He then lived in Sydney before returning to Brisbane in 1932 to work on the Telegraph for six years. (Three original cartoons dated c.1940s at ML PXD 764 were probably done for it in the 1930s) He moved to the Courier Mail in 1938 where he drew many notable wartime cartoons before travelling to London in 1946 to work as chief cartoonist on News of the World . Two years later, he returned to Brisbane as political cartoonist for the Courier Mail , where he remained until he retired in 1969. Examples include Another Record Breaker re road toll c.1964 (King, 180). He also drew the weekly 'Radish’ comic strip (initiated by Joe Johnsson) and for a time produced an adventure comic strip Dave Dalton . From 1961 he contributed a Saturday illustrated nature column to the Courier , 'Going Bush with Ian Gall’, which was anthologised in 1971. After 42 years as a cartoonist, Gall died at Brisbane in June 1981, aged 76.

Writers:
Kerr, Joan
Date written:
1996
Last updated:
2007

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References [<ExternalResource: Gall, Ian (1970), 'Fishing for the Fun of It', Brisbane, Queensland: Jacaranda Press.>, <ExternalResource: Information sourced from Germaine, Max.>, <ExternalResource: King, Jonathan (1979), 'The other side of the coin: a cartoon history of Australia', Stanmore, New South Wales: Cassell Australia (revised edition).>, <ExternalResource: McBride, Frank and Taylor, Helen (1997), '1981: What a Gall!', Brisbane 100 Stories, Brisbane City Council, Brisbane, Queensland, p 81 (illustrated with examples of Gall's Courier Mail cartoons).>, <ExternalResource: McCulloch, Alan (1984), 'Encyclopedia of Australian Art, 2nd edition', Hawthorn, Victoria: Hutchinson Australia.>, <ExternalResource: Radford, Ron (1980), 'Art Nouveau in Australia', Ballarat, Victoria: AGDC & Ballarat Fine Art Gallery.>, <ExternalResource: Rafty, Tony and Mack, Brodie (1964), 'Fifty Years of Australian Cartooning', Sydney, New South Wales: Blaxland Gallery.>, <ExternalResource: Stone, Walter (1973), '50 years of the newspaper cartoon in Australia', Adelaide: The News & Art Gallery of South Australia, p 76.>, <ExternalResource: (1965), 'Cartoonists' viewpoint', Encyclopaedia Year Book 1965: Australian Edition, The Grollier Society of Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, p 147.>, <ExternalResource: (1941), 'War Cartoons and Caricatures of the British Commonwealth', Ottawa, Canada: National Gallery of Canada.>, <ExternalResource: Gall, Ian (1971), 'Going Bush with Ian Gall', Brisbane, Queensland: Jacaranda Press.>, <ExternalResource: Rolfe, Patricia (1979), 'The journalistic javelin: an illustrated history of the Bulletin', Wildcat Press, Golden Press, Gladesville, New South Wales, p 262.>, <ExternalResource: Judd, Craig (1999), 'Australians in Black & White (the most public art)', Sydney: State Library of New South Wales.>]