caricaturist and cartoonist, son of a newspaper linotype operator, was born in Broken Hill. He moved to Adelaide with his family at the age of two and was educated there. After leaving school, he became a cadet reporter on the Adelaide News in 1923. Inspired by May and Low’s cartoons in the Bulletin , he taught himself to draw and changed his job, becoming the first black-and-white artist employed by the Adelaide Register . His first cartoon was published there in 1928 then reproduced in London’s Evening Standard , according to Germaine. The Register expired during the Depression and Coventry freelanced, mainly doing 'art deco’ portrait caricatures for the Bulletin in the 1930s and for several Adelaide newspapers. During WWII his blocky, simple line strip Alec the Airman was featured in the Mail (1941 example ill Lindesay 1979, 278). In about 50 years of newspaper work Coventry is said to have had over 30,000 caricatures and cartoons published in over 100 newspapers and magazines, including the Bulletin , the Adelaide News , Mail , Advertiser , Register and Register Pictorial , as well as in book anthologies and overseas. His cricket cartoons on A. P. Chapman’s England touring cricket team were published in London’s Evening Standard in 1928-29. He was, however, best known as a caricaturist.
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- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2007
