After leaving school, aged 14, Giles began work as an animator; he was one of the chief contributors to The Fox Hunt, the first animated British colour cartoon with sound. In October 1937, he went to work for Reynolds News and then in 1943 joined the Express newspaper group, working alongside Strube on the Daily Express and contributing a cartoon each week to the Sunday Express. Giles became best known for his Express ‘family’, especially the vast, dominant figure of Grandma, perpetually clothed in black and exuding an aura of self-satisfied menace. Ronald Searle felt nobody was able to rival Giles in ‘his superb understanding of human behaviour’.
Cartoons for sale:
- "Now which one stole your pocket money, Sonny?", 1956
- £1850
- 51cm x 15cm
- Sunday Express
This cartoon was originally given to the actor James Mason. Giles has written on the mount: To James Mason with Best Wishes, Giles