William St. John Glenn
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William St. John Glenn (1904–1974) was an Irish-British illustrator, painter and comics artist.


Early years

He was born in
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...
and at sixteen he had his first drawing reproduced in ''Ireland's Saturday Night''. This early success prompted him to seek a career in art. To gain experience, in 1919, he entered the Artists' Department in a small publishing house, Graham & Heslip Ltd., and for over five years illustrated countless booklets, and did figure sketches in black and white and colour.Theo Snoddy, ''Dictionary of 20th Century Irish Artists''


1926–1936 – The ''Belfast Telegraph'' and "Oscar"

In May 1926, at the age of 21, Glenn saw his own strip cartoon called "Oscar" appear daily in the ''
Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant po ...
''. "Oscar" featured a little man with a long nose who wore the baggy trousers of the period known as
Oxford bags Oxford bags were a loose-fitting baggy form of trousers favoured by members of the University of Oxford, especially undergraduates, in England from the mid-1920s to around the 1950s. The style had a more general influence outside the university ...
. In August the ''Belfast Telegraph'' appointed him to its editorial staff. The same year, at a Halloween party, he met his future wife, Dorothea, and soon his strip cartoon character "Oscar" had a glamorous wife inspired by the real person. "Oscar" was subsequently syndicated in South Africa and Australia. While with the ''Belfast Telegraph'' Glenn became a member of the
Institute of Journalists The Chartered Institute of Journalists is a professional association for journalists and is the senior such body in the UK and the oldest in the world. History The ''Chartered Institute of Journalists'' was proposed during a meeting in Manches ...
, and wrote his own column on topical subjects under the pseudonym "The Gay Philosopher". He also had the opportunity to be involved in experimental press photography.


The Ulster Academy of Art

In 1931, Glenn was elected a member of the Ulster Academy of Art and on 23 January 1936 elected a full Academician and Vice-President. In 1931 the first exhibition of the Ulster Academy of Art was opened in the Municipal Art Gallery, Belfast. Glenn exhibited two watercolours and over the coming five years he exhibited mainly watercolours and oil paintings. His subjects varied from portraits and landscapes to markets, a printing press and Gipsy scenes. He also exhibited in the
Royal Hibernian Academy The Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) is an artist-based and artist-oriented institution in Ireland, founded in Dublin in 1823. Like many other Irish institutions, such as the RIA, the academy retained the word "Royal" after most of Ireland became in ...
exhibition in
Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
in 1936. He was happy to talk to community groups about his work and enjoyed organising the annual Ulster Arts Ball. He was elected a Member of the Order of Honorary Academicians of the
Royal Ulster Academy The Royal Ulster Academy (RUA) has existed in one form or another since 1879. It started life then, as The Belfast Ramblers' Sketching Club drawn from the staff of Marcus Ward & Co who held their first show in Ward's Library on Botanic Avenue in 18 ...
on 12 January 1968, which entitled him to use the letters R.U.A. after his name.


Dublin Opinion and "Ballyscunnion"

''
Dublin Opinion ''Dublin Opinion'' was an Irish satirical magazine, published monthly from 1922 to 1968. It was founded by cartoonists Arthur Booth and Charles E. Kelly and writer Thomas J. Collins. Booth was its first editor, and drew the covers of the early ...
'' was a humorous monthly magazine established in the early days of the Irish Republic and William St. J. Glenn was contributing cartoons from 1928, signed "W. St John." Over the next forty years he contributed cartoons often portraying glamorous, sophisticated young men and women, but alongside these, from 1938 he produced a full page
scraperboard Scratchboard (North America and Australia) or scraperboard (Great Britain), is a form of direct engraving where the artist scratches off dark ink to reveal a white or colored layer beneath. Scratchboard refers to both a fine-art medium, and ...
drawing of country folk in a mythical village called "
Ballyscunnion "Ballyscunnion" This Article by Mrs Bronte Matthews, daughter of Artist was an imaginary village located in Ireland, depicted in 285 scraperboard cartoons by the illustrator, painter and comics artist William St. John Glenn RUA. The work was produc ...
". "It was an encapsulation of every village and villager of the time with all their idiosyncrasies and all their foibles." So wrote Pat Donlon. In drawing "Ballyscunnion" Glenn used a scraperboard covered in white china that could be inked black and scratched, giving an effect rather like a woodcut. "Rarely can the medium have been more brilliantly used," said Charles E. Kelly, the editor of ''Dublin Opinion''.


"Dorothea" 1936–1939

On Monday 31 August 1936 the ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
'' announced a new comic strip that would run daily and start the next day. It was called "Dorothea" and featured an attractive young woman inspired by Glenn's wife of the same name. He started supplying the ''Daily Mail'' with the "Dorothea" strip while still with the ''Belfast Telegraph'', but when the ''Daily Mail'' was sure of the success of "Dorothea", he and his family moved to London. Within six months Glenn joined the staff of the ''Daily Mail''. The "Dorothea" strip attracted favourable attention from the art world for its experimental layout and from women readers for the fashionable style of clothing. It continued until the growing threat of war forced major changes in newspapers in the Spring of 1939. "Dorothea" was syndicated to ''The Friend'' in South Africa in 1937 and also appeared in Australia. During the next year Glenn stayed in London freelancing cartoons and illustrating articles for many London newspapers and magazines. Then after recovering from major surgery for a brain tumour in 1940, he joined the Ministry of Information, working in the photographs and pictures division until 1945.


September 1945 – Back to the ''Daily Mail''

Glenn returned to the ''Daily Mail'' as Features Editor. He initiated the Strip Cartoons Department and commissioned artists and photographers He continued as an artist, contributing illustrations to ''The Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls'' and designing covers for the ''
Teddy Tail Teddy Tail was a British newspaper comic strip about a cartoon mouse featured in ''The Daily Mail'' from 5 April 1915. It was the first ''daily'' cartoon strip in a British newspaper (being also the first to use speech balloon rather than captions) ...
'' Annuals. 1951 brought new worries. After another brain operation, Glenn returned to the ''Daily Mail'' to draw "Teddy Tail" daily for the newspaper until it stopped appearing in December 1960. The Daily Mail also introduced a "Blue Spot" Annual of Children's Favourite Stories. There were three different editions of the "Blue Spot Annuals". Glenn designed the outside covers for all three and illustrated stories in each book. Retiring from the Daily Mail after more brain surgery in 1961, Glenn devoted some of his leisure to helping the Chelsea Cine Club, and writing articles on Chelsea's riverside illustrated by photos.


“Ballyscunnion" Exhibition 1970.

There was an exhibition of original "Ballyscunnion" scraperboard drawings in the Irish Club, Eaton Square, London. Sir Charles Petrie, the military historian, opened the exhibition, and the editor of ''Dublin Opinion'', Charles E. Kelly, flew over from Ireland to be there.''The Irish Times'', Tuesday 17 March 1970. "Ballyscunnion in London", article within "An Irishman's Diary". He suggested the collection should find a home in the National Gallery in Dublin because "I am sure the like of this will not be seen again." William St. John Glenn died in hospital in
Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...
in June 1974.


References


External links


Ballyscunnion WebsiteWilliam St. John Glenn WebsiteBallyscunnion Drawings etc
{{DEFAULTSORT:Glenn, William St.John 1974 deaths 1904 births 20th-century painters from Northern Ireland Male painters from Northern Ireland Artists from Belfast Cartoonists from Northern Ireland Irish comics artists Irish comics writers Irish comic strip cartoonists Members of the Royal Ulster Academy 20th-century male artists from Northern Ireland