FAMOUS BRITISH ARTIST HELPED FLAGELLATE AUSTRALIA , THE WORLD

Rescued from a  South Australian  tip, a  battered , disintegrating , soiled 1904  copy  of   Phil May in Australia  ,  being a  collection of his outstanding  and  distinctive black and white  drawings,  which  appeared in The   Bulletin ,Sydney , was  sent to this  blog , some illustrations   salvaged   and  run  below . . 

Although  May, born Leeds,1864   was only in Australia from 1886-8, working for  The Bulletin , he   produced  more  than  900  drawings, some  with  pungent  comments.  

His important contribution to  cartooning was acknowledged in the l950s  by the influential  Melbourne Art Training Institute  which offered    a course in   commercial art . Its  brochure  said there was no better  way to point out  the  faults of   the  world and humanity than by cartooning.

The  world, it  declared , was at the  feet of the man or woman who could  flagellate  it  with  fun . 

 If you were such an aspiring person , let  the Institute put into your hand  that pen or brush  which, under the guidance of experts, may ultimately become the   whip  to  flagellate  the  follies of  the  present-day world .

That " kindly whip ", it continued,  had    been  wielded  by  such masters as  Phil May , David  Low , Norman Lindsay  and  Ted  Scorfield.

May's  Australian wide ranging cartoons  covered the political scene ,   Henry Parkes , above , the bushy father of federation,  a popular subject, sporting events , republicans, the plight of Aborigines,  the  impact of  civilisation  on the  Pacific islands, wowsers , salvationists , the attitude to Chinese , visions  of  Colombo  on  a  mail   boat   trip  back  to  Britain. 

May covered the  settling  of  Australian  in  a  circa 1900 drawing  depicting   the  centenary of the arrival of  the  first  fleet  in Sydney in 1788 . 

It was  captioned "Poor Pfella Me!"  ... Whomever Australia is for, it  is  not  for the Australian  Aboriginal . It portrayed John Bull,on a plinth named Australia 1788-1888,   delivering  the boot to an Aborigine derisively  named King Billy ; others in the group  represent  Germany , China , America  and  France. 

Another  related  drawing  had  the caption :  A Curiosity in Her Own Counry .

May  commented   on  the  Pacific   with powerful   drawings   such as   the following  showing the  "Angel of Civilisation " pouring  rum on  islanders. 

Another   covered  the situation in  the  New  Hebrides where greed and the gospel were  in  play .  

It is evident   that  May enjoyed himself in Australia , which  provided  him with a lot  of laughs , inspiration and   entertainment . It  is said that  during  his  last  few months in the country he was the life and soul  of  the Melbourne art  circle .

However , back in London , in Fleet Street , at the height of his fame because of his  Australian  output , he reportedly  said he  was  the  most miserable  man  in town . 

Randwick races and  Republicans .

FOOT  AND FACE NOTE. The extremely grubby   title  page of the  collection  featured  a striking   drawing  of   a   toothless,  wrinkled ,  old , but still able to  laugh  , codger ,   said  to  be  how  May  would  look  in  his  dotage  , certainly not a flattering oil  painting .  He was only 39 when  he  died .

(Cartoons, May, Flagellation ).