Design and Art Australia Online

painter and cartoonist, was born Alexander Phillip Williams in Wiltshire, England. He came to Melbourne with his family in the 1880s and (with George Coates) studied at the NGV School at night in the 1890s while working as a sign-writer. He was a member of the Prehistoric Order of Cannibals, founded 1893. When he began working as a cartoonist on Melbourne Punch (1896-1912) he used the name 'Alek Sass’ (sometimes given as 'Alex’ and he was later wrongly but commonly called 'Alec Sass’ by Smith’s Weekly). His cartoons for Melbourne Punch include a pair signed 'SAS’ published 4 November 1897: Contrasts – “Under the Elms” [and] “On the Flat”’, which compare an upper and working class crowd at the races (ill. Fabian, 36).

'ALEK/ SASS’ cartoons in Melbourne Punch include The Fashion in Whiskers. 'Georgie: “Hello! dear boy; What’s gone wrong with your face?”/ Gussie: “Oh, nothing. But all us chappies who shaved clean in honour of Hopetoun will have to hurry up and grow Duke of York beards now, don’t you know”’ 18 October 1900 (ill. Fabian, 64). A better example is Hunting the Governors [two dumb cops with two dumb bloodhounds confronting the two Aboriginal bushranger brothers at their camp]. 'Intelligent Policeman (addressing the culprits): “Good day to yez. I’m out huntin’ thim Governors; have yez seen anny black men about?”’ 30 August 1900 (ill. Fabian, 156). The Wild Woman in Politics, a Hop-like picture story of a physically aggressive large woman with numerous children taking over a political meeting by force, was published 22 November 1906 (ill. Oldfield 1994, 29).

Sass exhibited paintings with the Art Society of NSW (and also in Victoria, possibly with the Victorian Art Society). He contributed cartoons to the Bulletin in 1902-6, including a loose charcoal-style drawing, published 21 June 1902, of a couple with the woman explaining that being thin is more important to a woman than love. He illustrated a poem by Edward Fisher on 23 February 1905 (about a man proposing at the theatre), did a well-drawn, graphic advertisement for the Victorian Railways’ excursion to Gippsland Lakes (re couple trying to get on horse-drawn cab with massive collection of luggage) 14 December 1904, an ad. for Lincoln Stuart (a Melbourne menswear company) 14 December 1905 and an ad. for Dyasons tomato sauce (man and maid, 'sauce! saucy! and sauciest!’) 8 March 1906. He taught Hal Gye.

In 1907 William Moore wrote an article on Sass for Native Companion (2 December 1907) illustrated with a bookplate of a female nude holding a skull signed 'Alex. Sass’. Then he drew for Lone Hand e.g. seasonal drawings of 'The Australian Girl’ published 1 January 1910, 287, 'February’ (girl playing croquet), 'April – The Australian Fishing Girl’ and '[December] Camping Girl’ 1910 (vol.6, 411 & 590, & vol.8, 115). Stories and poems illustrated in 1909-10 include Ethel Turner’s verses, 'The Christ Child in Australia’, 1 January 1910, 233-35, T. Carnett’s 'A Promising Pupil’ 1 January 1910, 316-21 (a story that includes a colour plate and a good heading of a woman graduate in front of men, 316) and T.B. Clegg’s 'A soul and a butterfly’ (with a female angel and a skull on an orb, 1 June 1909, 148). He illustrated a posthumous publication by George Essex Evans (d.1909) Queensland Queen of the North. A Jubilee Ode (Brisbane: Government Printer, 1910, 30 pp. with numerous illustrations; $60 Antiquariat 2002).

Sass revisited London c.1911 but then returned to Australia. He worked in New York in 1912-18, drawing for the New York World and making posters for the movies (also animated animal cartoons, according to Harry Julius's 1917 Bulletin caricature of him in New York). Afterwards he settled in Sydney and worked as a commercial artist with the firm of Smith & Julius (Sydney Ure Smith and Harry Julius). Later, circa 1919, he became the third artist to join Smith’s Weekly and its first art editor:

Then Alec [sic] Sass blew into “Smith’s” office from New York. He wanted a job. And he wanted to be “Smith’s” art editor. Sass produced a portfolio of his work, which showed that in addition to contributing regularly to New York “Life” and high-class magazines, he had mastered the technique of drawing for the rotary press – that is, for papers produced on newsprint by high-speed magazines. He was a find, for he imparted his methods to the young artists who were endeavouring to work out the problem he himself had solved (Smith’s Weekly, 20 April 1935, 20, 26).

Cartoon published 7 January 1922, 13; original political cartoon showing Fisher, Hughes and Bill Lyne as comic entertainers in Stan Cross collection (ill. Rainbow, 54).

Sass died in December 1922 while still working at Smith’s but there is some speculation as to in what capacity he was working as some sources state that he retired about 1919 but remained Art Director until his death (see Fifty Years…)

Writers:

Kerr, Joan

Date written:

1996

Last updated:

2007