The Other Giles
Cartoon historian Mark Bryant looks at the early work of Carl Giles for left-wing publications and traces the origins of his cartoon family.
Carl Giles, OBE, who was born ninety years ago this month, needs no introduction to British readers. A national institution, beloved of the Royal Family, politicians, media celebrities and the general public alike, he created more than 7,000 cartoons for the Daily and Sunday Express during the second half of the twentieth century. Like the characters in such long-running popular British radio and TV series as The Archers and Coronation Street, the members of the fictional Giles family became stars of their own unique cartoon soap opera, performing against a backdrop of national and international news. From the Beatles to the 1966 World Cup and from the Coronation to the first man on the Moon the Giles family – who never aged – lived through it all. And firmly at the centre of this group was the grumpy old matriarch, Grandma, who first appeared in the Sunday Express on August 5th, 1945.
To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.
Start my trial subscription now
If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.
Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.
