Cecil Hartt
Encyclopedia
Cecil Lawrence Hartt was an Australia
n cartoonist, born in Prahran, Victoria
.
He joined the 18th Battalion of the First AIF early in 1915, shortly after the outbreak of WWI
and was wounded twice at Lone Pine
. He had been contributing cartoons and sketches to The Bulletin
before enlisting, and continued after 1916 when was invalided to London
. As much as anyone, he was responsible for the portrayal of the Australian "digger" as independent, easygoing and disrespectful of authority. During his convalescence, he contributed to The London Bystander, Passing Show and London Opinion, then worked as a staff sergeant leading a camouflage team.
He was a good friend of the poet Henry Lawson
.
He was Smith's Weekly
's first cartoonist, joining in 1919 and perfected his image of the "digger" in hundreds of joke drawings, particularly in its Unofficial History of the AIF pages. After his death, this work was continued by Frank Dunne
.
He was the first president of the Society of Australian Black-and-White Artists from 1924 and reelected in 1925. (Soon changed its name to "Black-and-White Artists Society", then "Black-and-White Artists Club" and is now the "Australian Cartoonists Association".)
He was married to Ruby Adelaide Manners from 1909 to 1923 when they divorced.
He killed himself on a remote road near Moruya, New South Wales
with a shotgun to the head after complaining of "feeling rundown" and "needing a holiday". He left a widow Iris (later Smart) and three-year-old daughter Diana and a son Lawrence Chambers Hartt (1910–1942).
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n cartoonist, born in Prahran, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
.
He joined the 18th Battalion of the First AIF early in 1915, shortly after the outbreak of WWI
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and was wounded twice at Lone Pine
Battle of Lone Pine
The Battle of Lone Pine was a battle between Australian and Turkish forces that took place during the Gallipoli campaign from 6–10 August 1915. It was part of a diversion to draw attention from the main assaults of 6 August against the Sari Bair peaks of Chunuk Bair and Hill 971, which became...
. He had been contributing cartoons and sketches to The Bulletin
The Bulletin
The Bulletin was an Australian weekly magazine that was published in Sydney from 1880 until January 2008. It was influential in Australian culture and politics from about 1890 until World War I, the period when it was identified with the "Bulletin school" of Australian literature. Its influence...
before enlisting, and continued after 1916 when was invalided to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. As much as anyone, he was responsible for the portrayal of the Australian "digger" as independent, easygoing and disrespectful of authority. During his convalescence, he contributed to The London Bystander, Passing Show and London Opinion, then worked as a staff sergeant leading a camouflage team.
He was a good friend of the poet Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson
Henry Lawson was an Australian writer and poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest writer"...
.
He was Smith's Weekly
Smith's Weekly
Smith's Weekly was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. An independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia, Smith’s Weekly was one of Australia’s most patriotic newspaper-style magazines....
's first cartoonist, joining in 1919 and perfected his image of the "digger" in hundreds of joke drawings, particularly in its Unofficial History of the AIF pages. After his death, this work was continued by Frank Dunne
Frank Dunne (cartoonist)
Lawrence Francis Dunne , generally known as "Frank" but also as "Beau" was an Australian cartoonist, born in Boorowa, near Harden, New South Wales....
.
He was the first president of the Society of Australian Black-and-White Artists from 1924 and reelected in 1925. (Soon changed its name to "Black-and-White Artists Society", then "Black-and-White Artists Club" and is now the "Australian Cartoonists Association".)
He was married to Ruby Adelaide Manners from 1909 to 1923 when they divorced.
He killed himself on a remote road near Moruya, New South Wales
Moruya, New South Wales
Moruya is a small regional centre in New South Wales, Australia, situated on the Moruya River, approximately 300 kilometers south of Sydney. At the 2006 census, Moruya had a population of 10,278 people. The town relies predominantly on agriculture, aquaculture, and tourism...
with a shotgun to the head after complaining of "feeling rundown" and "needing a holiday". He left a widow Iris (later Smart) and three-year-old daughter Diana and a son Lawrence Chambers Hartt (1910–1942).
Publications
- Humorosities (Sydney 1917) sold 60,000 copies
- Diggerettes (A. C. Sandford, Sydney 1919)
- More Diggerettes (A. C. Sandford, Sydney 1920)