Bert
Thomas,
the son of a sculptor, was born in Newport, Wales, in 1883. After
leaving school he was apprenticed as a commercial metal engraver where
he specialized in the design of brass door plates.
In the early 1900s Thomas began having cartoons published in magazines
and newspapers. Working in pen, pencil, chalk and charcoal, Thomas
contributed to Punch Magazine, The
Graphic, The
Bystander
and London
Opinion.
In the First World War he served in the Artists'
Rifles and became known nationally for the cartoon drawn to promote
a fund to provide the troops with tobacco and cigarettes. It was later
claimed that the drawing helped to raise over £250,000.
Thomas was one of the many artists at Punch
Magazine who was influenced by the work of Phil
May. He also produced several cartoon books including Red
and Black: A Book of Drawings
(1928), Cartoons
and Character Drawings
(1936), Fun
at the Seaside
(1944), Fun
on the Farm
(1944), A
Mixed Bag
(1945), Fun
in the Country
(1946)
and A
Trip on a Barge
(1947). Bert
Thomas
died in 1966.
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