Design and Art Australia Online

cartoonist, was born in Sale, Victoria. He studied art at the Technical College, Perth, and began his cartooning career on the Western Mail , also sending gags to the Bulletin . He was working as a draughtsman in the Board of Works when he enlisted, serving with the AIF in France during WWI. He was art editor of the AIF paper Aussie (1918-19), published in France.

After the war Mattinson worked in London as a professional cartoonist, drawing the sporting cartoons for the Daily Herald (1919-31) and contributing to London Opinion , Passing Show and Punch . In February 1936 William Moore stated (in 'At Home and Abroad’, Art in Australia 15 February 1936, 44) that he had just returned to Australia after some years abroad where he had

…contributed more drawings to “Punch” than any other Australian artist, and also drew for “The Sketch”, “The Tatler”, “The Bystander”, “The Passing Show” and other journals. As sporting cartoonist on the “Daily Herald’ he remained on that paper from 1919 to 1931. Some of his drawings were reproduced in American and German journals, and in a book on cartoons published in Japan.

Back in Sydney he made a name for himself on Smith’s Weekly , which he joined in 1936 succeeding Frank Dunne . Like Dunne (emulating Cec Hartt ), Mattinson also specialised in Digger images. He also contributed to the Bulletin ; a 1937 original in Mitchell Library is a good gag about a mate buried under rocks.

Writers:

Kerr, Joan

Date written:

1996

Last updated:

2007