Trog, Wally Fawkes b.1924

Fawkes once said he specialized in two “minority pursuits”, jazz and cartooning. A talented musician as well as artist he took the name Trog from one of his early jazz bands, The Troglodytes. Fawkes got his artistic break when he entered a competition and his work caught the eye of Leslie Ilingworth. Ilingworth helped him get a job at the Daily Mail in 1945, aged 21. For the next 60 years, until he gave up cartooning in 2005 because of failing eyesight, Fawkes’ produced cartoons and caricatures for a range of publications including Punch, Private Eye and The Observer. He drew the Flook cartoon strip for 35 years, initially at the Daily Mail and then for The Mirror and Sunday Mirror. Flook started out as a children’s cartoon but Fawkes, along with writers like Keith Waterhouse and Barry Norman, turned it into social and political satire aimed at adults. In 1979 Margaret Thatcher called Flook “quite the best commentary on the politics of the day”. At The Observer Fawkes became known not only for his big political cartoons but for the Mini-Trogs he drew for the front page.

Cartoons for sale:

Lord Bernard Delfont, 1984
£325
18cm x 30cm
The Observer
Lord Bernard Delfont caricature

No Caption, 1986
£385
14cm x 24cm
Daily Mail
Westland Affair Heseltine, Thatcher, Brittan cartoon.

I sure hope they find people up there - or how the heck do we liberate it?

I sure hope they find people up there - or how the heck do we liberate it?
6th Feb. 1966
£365
26cm x 18cm
The Observer
American military space Moon cartoon.

No Caption
18th Dec. 1978
£365
37cm x 19cm
The Observer
Formerly the property of Liberal MP Sir Cyril Smith

Bob Geldof, 1987
£145
14cm x 16cm
Mail on Sunday

"I hope there isn't an African crisis this week. I'd be hard put to look suitably grave."

"I hope there isn't an African crisis this week. I'd be hard put to look suitably grave.", 1965
£325
26cm x 16cm
Spectator

"I think he's come to see the new member for Smethwick"

"I think he's come to see the new member for Smethwick", 1964
£345
32cm x 18cm
Spectator
In the 1964 Election Shadow Foreign Secretary, Gordon Walker, was defeated in controversial circumstances by Tory candidate Peter Griffiths. Griffiths supporters had covertly circulated the slogan If you want a nigger for a neighbour, vote Liberal or Labour.