Norman Thelwell

Norman Thelwell (1923–2004) was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire. He was educated locally at Rock Ferry High School. During the Second World War, he served in India with the East Yorkshire Regiment, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (1942–46). While art editor of an army publication, he had his first cartoons published in London Opinion. After the war, he studied at Liverpool School of Art (1947–50) and lectured on illustration at Wolverhampton College of Art (1950–57). He sold his first drawing to Punch in 1950, and two years later became an important regular contributor. He also worked as a cartoonist for several newspapers and began to produce his own comic books, beginning in 1957 with Angels on Horseback. Since their debut appearance in Punch over forty years ago, Norman Thelwell’s cartoons and drawings have delighted millions of people all over the world. His portrayals of sporting pursuits, human beings at play, the life of the countryside and, of course, ponies, are the products of a unique comic genius.