The Sketch, 1935

172, Strand, London, W.C.

The Sketch published 31 monochrome cartoons by Blampied in 1935. Several of them featured two tramps named 'Orace and George, who ruminated on current events (see left). Blampied was quite well known as an artist then, so he signed them all 'Blampied' rather than 'Blam'.

Even though this was regular work, the number of illustrations by Blampied in magazines of the period was many fewer than in the 1920s. In September 1935 his publisher of prints, Walter Bull and Sanders, closed down, and he accepted betters terms with Colnaghi, a famous art dealer in Bond Street in London. Even though Colnaghi immediately published a print that his previous publisher would not, between 1935 and 1939 Blampied published only five prints, two of which were commissioned by American print collector's clubs. The market for prints was dead. He was still showing at galleries as he held an exhibition of Watercolour Drawings at the Leicester Galleries in London in December 1935 and in Glasgow at the galleries of T.R. Annan in March 1936. The large sale of many drawings in 1933 to the American banker Harold Wiggin, must have been a great boost to his income, but it must have diminished compared with the 1920s.

'Orace and George, two characters invented by Blampied (click to enlarge)

— 1935 —

Issue: 9-Jan-1935, vol. 169, no. 2189, p 43. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The Lady in the White Hat: "What sent me into a roar of laughter was my Alf getting a birthday greeting from the undertaker; Alf, who's in a dye-works!".

Issue: 16-Jan-1935, vol. 169, no. 2190, p 85. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The Learned Councel (to his colleague): "I suppose we must take it that it was a sense of humour that actuated this fellow to send the nudist a pair of mittens".

Issue: 23-Jan-1935, vol. 169, no. 2191, p 133. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: It's funny you saying you're from Orpington and don't like eggs - because I am from Barking and simply detest sausages.

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Issue: 30-Jan-1935, vol. 169, no. 2192, p 181. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The smiling lady: "Wasn't Belisha the big noise in the Old Testament who existed on oranges, beacons and traffic jam?".

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Issue: 13-Feb-1935, vol. 169, no. 2194, p 281. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The Lady: "Sweetly naughty of you, Kenneth, to refer to bachelors' ties and wedding ties as 'neck wear and tear'".

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Issue: 20-Feb-1935, vol. 169, no. 2195, p 329. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The Parlourmaid (to the Cook): "I 'eard the Boss say 'e didn't speak in the House because your rum omelette 'ad given 'im the hiccoughs".

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Issue: 27-Feb-1935, vol. 169, no. 2196, p 371. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The Lady: "It ought ter be easy enough for yer to see further than the end o' yer nose - it ain't exactly fur away, is it?".

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Issue: 6-Feb-1935, vol. 169, no. 2193, p 233. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The Lady: "Whether you're a Black, Brown, Frayed or Boiled Shirt, I'm (underlined) doing the 'Hitlerizing' in this house. You? You're only the thing that whistles for the dog when it's lost!".

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Issue: 6-Mar-1935, vol. 169, no. 2197, p 415. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: One Jay-walker to the other: "D'yer know - I s'h'ent Archbeacon 's'h'ome oranges and the B'lish s'h'ent them back!".

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Issue: 13-Mar-1935, vol. 169, no. 2198, p 461. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The Witness: "Saying my 'usband got into 'ot water is very untrue, my Lord - 'e was at 'ome 'aving a bath at that time; it bein' Sunday".

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Issue: 20-Mar-1935, vol. 169, no. 2199, p 513. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The Young Layman: "I rather forget my Old Testmanet, but wasn't Joshua the fellow who walked around Ruth seven times playing a trumpet; and then she fell down or something?".

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Issue: 27-Mar-1935, vol. 169, no. 2200, p 563. Type: SP1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The Proud Father: "Baby's name is to be 'Jubilesha', because I'm twenty-five in May - and because my Boss calls me 'Beacon'.

Issue: 3-Apr-1935, vol. 170, no. 2201, p 17. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The lady with the shorter nose: My Albert, 'e's got bells drumming in his ears and 'e sees snakes with blue spots - would those be spirits?.

Issue: 17-Apr-1935, vol. 170, no. 2203, p 123. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The loafer in the park (staring at bandaged toy terrier): Looks mighty like e'd gorn and cast a haspersion on a lady dawg's nime, Lidy - don't 'e?.

Issue: 24-Apr-1935, vol. 170, no. 2204, p 165. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The dear old lady: You know, I think Parson should be asked to say something about your poor eye - he prays fervently enough for loose livers.

Issue: 15-May-1935, vol. 170, no. 2207, p 321. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The smiling one: "Really beautiful - that witness referring to your client as "the kind of stout fellow that dawdles to lunch and totters back"!.

Issue: 12-Jun-1935, vol. 170, no. 2211, p 525. Type: SP1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: The casualty: Just beco of tellin' a blinkin' fisherman I thought bated breath meant something to do with fishing.

Issue: 10-Jul-1935, vol. 171, no. 2215, p 53. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: A study in concentration: the lost bead.

Issue: 14-Aug-1935, vol. 171, no. 2220, p 301. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: Tweet!.

Issue: 21-Aug-1935, vol. 171, no. 2221, p 355. Type: SP1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: A modern tragedy: the mosquito on the ceiling.

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Issue: 28-Aug-1935, vol. 171, no. 2222, p 390. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: Polo as it is not (underlined) played! Witty Blampied drawings.

Issue: 25-Sep-1935, vol. 171, no. 2226, p 585. Type: SP1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: That's Musso - 'e don't look over-sweet, do 'e, Joe? . . . Looks 'ungry, urgent, and fervent. Don't think he ever cries at funerals - no, nor at the pictures, neither. Looks as if 'e could eat 'is teeth if they ached 'im!.

Issue: 2-Oct-1935, vol. 172, no. 2227, p 5. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: Taking a back seat.

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Issue: 9-Oct-1935, vol. 172, no. 2228, p 55. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: A bit more o' this in Abyssinia, 'Orace, would keep Musso quiet.

Issue: 16-Oct-1935, vol. 172, no. 2229, p 105. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: Wot puzzles me, 'Orace, is that when the old Squire said 'you 'ave my sanction to go round to the kitchen,' we get as good blow out; but when there's talk of sanctions from the 'hole biling lot, Musso don't seem to be too 'appy some'ow.

Issue: 23-Oct-1935, vol. 172, no. 2230, p 157. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: In one paper I reads that the Eyetalians 'ad 30 killed and 70 wounded in their fightin' in Abyssinia. In another place it says there was 127 killed and more than 4000 wounded on the roads 'ere at 'ome. I'm beginnin' to tink, 'Orace, that our.

Issue: 30-Oct-1935, vol. 172, no. 2231, p 208. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: A palindrom? No, 'Orace, it 'as nothink to do with the Palladiu northe 'Ippodrome neither. It means a word that you can spell the same way whether you begin at the beginning or at the end. Sort of faces both ways at once, so to speak. That Monseer.

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Issue: 6-Nov-1935, vol. 172, no. 2232, p 255. Type: SP1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: I reads in the paper that the eyetalians say they are brining all sorts of blessings into that part of Abyssinia wot they collar. But the way I sees it, 'Orace, is like this: jest suppose you 'ad a garden full of your favourite flowers growin'.

Issue: 13-Nov-1935, vol. 172, no. 2233, p 301. Type: SP1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: Nah, look 'ere George: 'Orace an' me sees two posters in ther town. One sez to' ave Peace yer must vote National; an' the Labour poster sez if you vote National yer'll 'ave War. Seems to us that a cross anyw'ere on a votin' paper's as good as a.

Issue: 22-Nov-1935, vol. 172, no. 2234A, Christmas Number, p 34. Type: MO1. Price: 2/-.Author: none. Title: A "naughty ninety" tells a good one!.

Issue: 18-Dec-1935, vol. 172, no. 2238, p 561. Type: MO1. Price: 1/-. Author: none. Title: Getting the boot.

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