William Gordon Brewster (26 September 1889 – 16 June 1946) was an Irish
illustrator
An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...
and
editorial cartoonist
An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary. Their cartoons are used to convey and question an aspect of daily news or curren ...
.
Life
Gordon Brewster was born at 15
D'Olier Street
D'Olier Street ( ) is a street in the southern city-centre of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. It and Westmoreland Street are two broad streets whose northern ends meet at the southern end of O'Connell Bridge over the River Liffey. Its southern ...
, Dublin, the son of William Theodore Brewster, secretary, and Susan McConnell. He was educated at the
Dublin Metropolitan School of Art
The National College of Art and Design (NCAD) is Ireland's oldest art institution, offering the largest range of art and design degrees at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the country. Originating as a drawing school in 1746, many of th ...
.
He was the editorial cartoonist for the ''
Irish Independent
The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis.
The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines.
Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
'' group of newspapers.
He drew cartoons mainly on money matters for daily newspapers including the ''
Evening Herald
''The Herald'' is a nationwide mid-market tabloid newspaper headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and published by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. It is published Monday–Saturday. The newspaper was known as the ''Ev ...
.''
Aside from Victor Brown in
''The'' ''Irish Press'', Brewster was one of the few satirical cartoonist in Irish newspapers until the 1970s.
Brewster was one of the first artists to produce cover artwork for the
Catholic Truth Society of Ireland
Veritas Communications is a company owned by Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference which is a publisher and retailer of religious books and materials. Veritas has a number of retail outlets in Dublin city, Blanchardstown, Cork, Sligo and Derry.
Veri ...
. Three years after his death he was remembered as "the first good artist to serve the Society" after the "amateurish" contributions of earlier artists. His covers for the Society include ''The Saddest Death of All'' by Rev. J. J. Gaffney, ''A Dreadful Holocaust'' by M. J. O'Mullane and ''The Alcoholic Road'' by Henry Morris.
Gordon Brewster died in
Howth
Howth ( ; ; non, Hǫfuð) is an affluent peninsular village and outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The district as a whole occupies the greater part of the peninsula of Howth Head, which forms the northern boundary of Dublin Bay, and includes ...
on 16 June 1946, aged 56, having collapsed in a shop called The Gem.
Cause of death was cardiac failure and atheroma of the coronary artery. He is buried alongside his parents in Kilbarrack Cemetery.
Bayside
Cemeteries
Brewster would insist on newspapers such as the ''Evening Herald'' returning his cartoons to him. This resulted in him amassing a retaining a large collection of his published cartoons, which were later donated to the National Library of Ireland
The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ga, Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the Republic of Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is ...
.
See also
*Our Boys (magazine)
''Our Boys'' was a boys' magazine published monthly by the Irish Christian Brothers in Ireland.
The various Education Acts of the late 19th and early 20th century had created a market in Britain for magazines and periodicals which were also pop ...
References
Further reading
* Theo Snoddy, ''Dictionary of Irish Artists: 20th Century'', Merlin Publishing, 2002
External links
Death Cert showing place of deathPicture of Brewster from the Man on the Bridge archive
1889 births
1946 deaths
Irish editorial cartoonists
Alumni of the National College of Art and Design
Artists from Dublin (city)
Burials at Kilbarrack Cemetery
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