Cartoonist, comic book artist, illustrator and costume designer, worked in Sydney from early in the 20th century. He was perhaps the ' J. Benison ' mentioned by Moore in 1907 as 'the youngest’ black and white artist, illustrator and theatrical costume designer. In 1911-12 Percy Benison contributed to the Comic Australian , e.g. 'Cup Characters’ of 4 November 1911 and 14 illustrations to current news stories published 18 June 1912, 2, including a drawing of a woman in the army and a self-portrait with a block of ice on his head (about a burglar who stole the ice and the artist knows why). He also drew for the Lone Hand , e.g. 'The Girls they left behind them’, 1 December 1914, 35. For the NSW Bookstall Co. he illustrated The Selector Girl by Broda Reynolds (1917) – six full-page illustrations – Lydia’s Lovers by Gerald R. Baldwin (1918) and drew the frontispiece of Over the Odds by Arthur Wright (1918).
Benison went to the 1923 Artists’ Ball as 'Miss 1923’, wearing a headdress decorated with chickens, and as Widow Twanki in 1924. (He may have designed the cover of the Artists’ Ball Souvenir Programme in 1924 – signature almost illegible). For Home (September 1926) he drew 'Impressions of the 1926 Artists’ Ball’ (ill. Kirkpatrick, 279). In the 1920s he designed pantomime costumes for J.C. Williamson. In the 1930s he was advertising manager for Richard Hudnut and William R. Warner, a company that produced beauty and medical products.
In the 1940s Benison had four cartoons in the Australia Week-end Book vol.1 (1942), all like London Punch , as well as some small b/w illustrations, e.g. a dishevelled female gardener to illustrate 'Horticultural Note’, a comic poem by Eva Linn. He was also a Bulletin contributor, e.g. early female pics; “ The service won’t tolerate mutiny, Private Burness” (two women in uniform fighting over dress material at a sale, the higher rank speaking) 21 May 1941; “I can’t remember the name of the hotel we stayed at. Wait a moment – I’ll go and look through my towels” 29 [Jan.?] 1947, 17. ML Bulletin originals include: (old ladies to belicose officer beside sign stating 'We need your money for munitions invest in the war loan’) “We would like to put a tank on the lay-by, please” (Px*D451/126); (two women playing golf) “Darling, I just missed a birdie by four strokes” (Px*D451/123). He also contributed to Smith’s Weekly at some stage.
Mick Stone identifies Benison as the artist of the one-shot comic about boxing, The Adventures of Billy Koala (John Fairfax and Sons, c.1956, 1/-), a major personal interest. He managed boxing champions and was a boxing commentator for radio 2BL. Picman catalogue (SLNSW) notes that he also created the 'Blackie’ cartoon strips.
