Our favourite horses (and ponies!).. Number 2.. Thelwell's Pony
Thelwell is, as the saying goes, "part of the furniture", and firmly established as the official artist of the British countryside. Possibly the most popular cartoonist in Britain, since the Second World War, he is perhaps best known for his many cartoons of little girls and their little fat ponies. We're always delighted to see one of his cartoons at Burghley or Badminton.
Born in 1923, Norman Thelwell started o...ut drawing as a young boy and honed his skill on family trips from Birkenhead to the farms in North Wales. On active service from 1941 in the Army in India, Thelwell carried his sketchbooks with him everywhere. After the War, he took a degree course at Liverpool College of Art and then went on to teach illustration at Wolverhampton College of Art.
Punch published him for the first time in 1952 and went on to publish 1,500 of his cartoons over a 25 year period, along with featuring one of his cartoons on 60 covers. His first pony cartoon was published in 1953 and was an instant hit.
Thelwell is of course well known for illustrations of all aspects of country life, including fishing, gardening, hunting, farming, you name it really! In the equestrian community though it's his drawings of little girls on little fat ponies that strikes a chord as it undoubtedly reminds us all of our misspent youth!
Do you have any favourite Thelwells? We'd love to hear about them!
#EquusEngland #Thelwell #ponies #cartoon #burghley #badminton #Wolverhampton #Liverpool #art #equestrian #gymkhanas #ponyclub