cartoonist and plantation owner/manager, regularly contributed cartoons about Papua New Guinea natives to the Bulletin from c.1928 until 1958 (at least). Until 1939 his address for payment was 'Loani Plantation, Samarai, Papua’, then this was crossed out and replaced with 'Belvedere, 81 Bayswater Road, Darlinghurst’. During WWII he was at ’31 Biara Street, Guildford’ (an outer Sydney suburb). Published examples of his cartoons include: (native in loincloth) “Either Would I”, Bulletin, 30 May 1928, p.25 and “Boy am I glad to be back in civvies?” 1945.
ML has a large collection of original Gill cartoons drawn for the Bulletin (Px*D429/9-29). They include one of two women in grass skirts, one with an elaborate face and body tattoo (Px*D429/9), published 24 March 1937 with the editorial caption, “Well dear, THAT ought to make the tourists look at you”, rather than the original gag, “Yes, but some hag in the village will be sure to say I don’t know where to draw the line”. Another depicts a missionary talking to grass-skirted Papuan woman in the distance with two women chatting in foreground (Px*D429/26), paid 4 June 1937: “He says there’ll be no marriages in heaven.”/ “Why – no men there?” Three rows of vignettes of 8 elaborately coiffered male Papuan heads and one shaven-headed female (Px*D429/29), published 16 August 1939, has the running caption: 'Certainly the coiffeur of the Papuan male shows originality – but for something really NEW we must – as usual – look to the female.”
- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2007
