J. H. Leonard

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Joseph John Henry Leonard (c. 1863 – 19 November 1929) [1] was an Australian newspaper illustrator, whose work first appeared in the Adelaide satirical weeklies, signed variously as "J. H. Leonard", "Leo", or simply "JL".

Contents

History

Leonard was born in Gawler, South Australia, [2] the youngest child of Congregationalist minister James C. Leonard BA and his second wife Anne Leonard, née Smithers (c. 1815 – 26 April 1908). [3] He was educated at his father's schools at Bentley, near Gawler, and at Angaston. He was, with fellow Angaston student James Scandrett and Oscar Nootnagel from Adelaide Educational Institution, admitted as a cadet to the Civil Service in July 1879, [4] and worked in the office of the Colonial Architect. His father had a brother in London, a successful painter in oils, who signed his work as "L. H. Leonard", [5] and the subject of this article, who was a self-taught artist, signed much of his work the same way. This may have led to confusion over authorship of some works. [6]

In 1880, as "J. J. H. Leonard", he won a prize for an India ink drawing, [7] and after finding a ready market for his pen-and-ink sketches, caricatures and lithographs (as "Leo") in the Port Adelaide News , The Lantern , Adelaide Punch and Frearson's Weekly , he felt sufficiently confident to quit his job and became chief cartoonist for The Lantern, which at that time boasted a fine stable of artists: A. S. Broad, J. H. Chinner, Alfred Clint, H. J. Woodhouse, James Ashton and John Hood.

He established an upstairs studio in Flinders Street. [8]

Leonard had other talents: he was a capable light tenor, and an actor, one of the more successful players in H. J. Woodhouse's short-lived Yorick Club of amateur thespians, providing additional entertainment with "lightning sketches" of local celebrities when they played at large towns such as Kapunda [9] and Gawler. [10]

In 1886 he left Adelaide to take a position with Melbourne Punch . [11]

In 1888 he famously exhibited, in a Bourke Street shop window, an oil painting satirizing the free market champion Henry Parkes as King Lear with the dying Cordelia (representing the NSW economy) in his arms. [12] A similar cartoon, reportedly published in Melbourne Punch, [13] has yet to be found.

He moved to Sydney, and by 1892 was employed by the Illustrated Sydney News . [14]

Leonard was particularly virulent in his denunciation of the bankers who closed their doors in the 1893 banking crisis. [13]

In 1893 he and Gilbert Probyn Smith (died 1905), [15] as proprietors of a Sydney publication named Police News, were tried for criminal libel, [16] but the Attorney-General declined to prosecute. [17]

Some works

"The Mirror", a wine bar in Rowe Street, Sydney, was decorated with hundreds of his sketches of well-known people. [18]

Leonard's drawing Soldiers of the Queen, of men in various uniforms, in The Australian Field of December 1900, was the first colored artwork published in an Australian newspaper. [19]

He illustrated, as "Leo", "A Vagabond"'s 1877–78 five volumes of reminiscences with a portrait of the author, John Stanley James ("Julian Thomas"), [20] on the frontispiece and line illustrations throughout. These illustrations were carried through to the single volume condensed version,

As a challenge, or proof of his skill with the pen, in 1901 he drew a 21 by 18 inches (530 mm × 460 mm) portrait, on card, of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, surrounded by Australian wildflowers and the representation of an ornamental frame, all consisting of one line only, without a break or crossing, [21] and of varying width to create light and shade, [22] commencing at the tip of one nose and terminating at the other. Quite apart from its value as a demonstration of penmanship, it was said to be an excellent drawing. [23]

Cartoon by J. L. He's Got 'em Again.png
Cartoon by J. L.

It has been suggested that the cartoon "He got 'em again" published in The Brisbane Worker in 1906, was by Leonard. [13] This has not been found, but is probably the "He's Got 'em Again" (i.e. "the horrors", delirium tremens) in the New South Wales Worker . [24] The signature at the lower right corner is an interlocked "JL".

He was also known for creating illuminated addresses. Recipients included:

Some, perhaps all, of these were produced gratis, out of respect for the intended recipient.

Family

Some time around 1895 Leonard married the divorcee [31] Margaret Deleuil. One of her children was Adolphe Louie Deleuil (died 8 November 1920), [32] father of Leonard Adolphe Deleuil, [33] who was awarded an MBE in 1971. [34]

The Leonards were generous and thoughtful citizens. A few examples:

Leonard had a studio at 121 Bathurst Street Sydney, [38] and family homes at Kimberley Road, Hurstville [39] and "Malalo" at 24 Oxford Street, Mortdale. [40]

He died at a private hospital, Kogarah, on 19 November 1929, and his remains were interred at the Church of England Cemetery, Woronora. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kapunda</span> Town in South Australia

Kapunda is a town on the Light River near the Barossa Valley in South Australia. It was established after a discovery in 1842 of significant copper deposits. The population was 2,917 at the 2016 Australian census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oatley, New South Wales</span> Suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Oatley is a suburb in Southern Sydney in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 18 kilometres south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area. Oatley lies in the local government area of Georges River Council. It lies on the northern side of the tidal estuary of the Georges River and its foreshore includes part of Oatley Bay and Lime Kiln Bay, and all of Neverfail Bay, Gungah Bay and Jewfish Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line</span> Rail service in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line is a commuter railway line on the Sydney Trains network in the eastern and southern suburbs of Sydney. The line was constructed in the 1880s to Wollongong to take advantage of agricultural and mining potentials in the Illawarra area. In March 1926, it became the first railway in New South Wales to run electric train services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. J. Brady</span> Australian journalist and poet

Edwin James Brady was an Australian journalist and poet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney Kidman</span> Australian pastoralist and entrepreneur

Sir Sidney Kidman, known as Sid Kidman and popularly named "the Cattle King", was an Australian pastoralist and entrepreneur who owned or co-owned large areas of land in Australia in his lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Hurstville</span> Former local government area in New South Wales, Australia

The City of Hurstville was a local government area in the St George and southern region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The city seat of Hurstville is located 17 kilometres (11 mi) south–west of Sydney and west of Botany Bay. Hurstville was incorporated as a municipality in 1887, declared a city in 1988, and abolished in 2016, forming with Kogarah City Council the new Georges River Council.

Ernest Clayton Andrews BA, FRS, commonly referred to as E. C. Andrews, was an Australian geologist and botanist.

William Thompson Sabben was Adelaide's first Town Clerk and was Mayor from December 1858 to January 1859, his term being cut short when he was indicted on charges of forgery and uttering, found guilty, and sentenced to six years with hard labour.

<i>Madmans Island</i> Book by Ion Idriess

Madman's Island is a 1927 novel by Ion Idriess set in northern Australia.

Quiz was a weekly newspaper published in Adelaide, South Australia from 1889 to 1910. Between 1890 and 1900 it was known as Quiz and The Lantern.

<i>The Kapunda Herald</i> Local Kapunda, Sth Australia, newspaper (1878–1951)

The Kapunda Herald was a newspaper published in Kapunda, South Australia from 29 October 1864 to 25 January 1951. From 1864 to 1878 the masthead was subtitled "and Northern Intelligencer". It was published weekly, except for the period February 1872 to September 1894 when it appeared bi-weekly. When closed, the newspaper was merged with the Barossa News to become the Barossa and Light Herald.

The District Council of Mount Bryan was a local government area in South Australia from 1874 to 1935.

Horatio Thomas Whittell MD., MRCS., generally referred to as H. T. Whittell or H. Thomas Whittell, was a medical doctor in South Australia and Adelaide's City Coroner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Municipality of Bexley</span> Former local government area in New South Wales, Australia

The Municipality of Bexley was a local government area in the St George region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The municipality was proclaimed as the Borough of Bexley on 28 June 1900 when it formally separated from the Municipal District of Hurstville, and included the modern suburbs of Bexley, Bexley North and Kingsgrove, with parts of Carlton, Bardwell Park, Bardwell Valley, Rockdale and Kogarah. From 1 January 1949, the council was amalgamated into the Municipality of Rockdale, with the passing of the Local Government (Areas) Act 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George E. Loyau</span> Anglo-Australian journalist and author

George Ettienne Loyau was an English-born traveller, poet and historian in Australia, best known as the author and editor of Notable South Australians.

The Tolley family were important winemakers, merchants and distillers in South Australia. Members of the family formed three businesses: A. E. & F. Tolley, wine merchants of Leigh Street, Adelaide, Tolley Scott & Tolley, distillers of Stepney and Nuriootpa, better known by the initials "T.S.T.", and Douglas A. Tolley Pty, Ltd., winemakers of Hope Valley.

James Hazel Adamson was a machinist and inventor, better known for his paintings and engravings of marine subjects in the early days of colonization of South Australia.

Theodore Emil Argles was an Australian journalist described as "amazingly clever and desperately erratic", who wrote under a variety of names, including "Pasquin", "Harold Grey" and "The Pilgrim".

William Dind was an hotelier and theatre manager in Sydney, Australia, where he was the longtime lessee of the Royal Victoria, and Prince of Wales theatres. He settled on Sydney's North Shore, where he was active in local government, and he and his son William Forster Dind, aka W. Forster Dind or William Dind jun, ran hotels which were popular with theatrical people.

Rev. James C. Leonard BA was the first Congregationalist minister of Perth, Western Australia. He was headmaster of two private schools in South Australia; near Gawler and at Angaston.

References

    1. 1 2 "Family Notices". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . No. 15, 584. New South Wales, Australia. 20 November 1929. p. 7. Retrieved 27 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    2. "The February Show". The Express and Telegraph . Vol. XVII, no. 4, 838. South Australia. 27 February 1880. p. 3. Retrieved 26 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    3. "Obituary". The Chronicle (Adelaide) . Vol. 50, no. 2, 593. South Australia. 2 May 1908. p. 44. Retrieved 25 January 2022 via National Library of Australia. Her first husband, Capt. Harrison Douglas, drowned 30 June 1852 while attempting to cross the bar at Fremantle, Western Australia.
    4. "The Kapunda Herald". Kapunda Herald . Vol. XV, no. 1153. South Australia. 15 July 1879. p. 2. Retrieved 25 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    5. "News". South Australian Register . Vol. XLI, no. 9339. South Australia. 19 October 1876. p. 4. Retrieved 25 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    6. "S.A. Academy of Arts". The South Australian Advertiser . Vol. XXX, no. 9040. South Australia. 8 October 1887. p. 6. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    7. "Industrial and Juvenile Exhibition". South Australian Chronicle and Weekly Mail . Vol. XXIII, no. 1, 151. South Australia. 11 September 1880. p. 10. Retrieved 25 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    8. Speculum (1 January 1886). "The Artists and Studios of Adelaide". The South Australian Advertiser . Vol. XXVIII, no. 8488. South Australia. p. 6. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia. Other artists mentioned in this article are J. C. Chidley, Francis Cottrell, T. C. Dalwood, Arthur Easom, H. P. Gill, W. K. Gold, Edmund Gouldsmith, John Gow, Charles Hill, John Hood, Andrew MacCormac, J. O'Malley, Herbert Parker, Alfred Scott Broad, Louis Tannert, Van Kaspelen and John A. Upton.
    9. "The Kapunda Herald". Kapunda Herald . Vol. XXI, no. 1796. South Australia. 29 September 1885. p. 2. Retrieved 26 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    10. "Advertising". The Bunyip . No. 1, 096. South Australia. 2 October 1885. p. 3. Retrieved 26 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    11. "Police Court—Adelaide". The Express and Telegraph . Vol. XXIII, no. 6, 736. South Australia. 7 June 1886. p. 2. Retrieved 27 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    12. "Melbourne Centennial Exhibition". The Australian Star . No. 219. New South Wales, Australia. 14 August 1888. p. 8. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    13. 1 2 3 Joan Kerr. "J. H. Leonard". Design and Art of Australia Online. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
    14. "News of the Day". The Armidale Express and New England General Advertiser . New South Wales, Australia. 8 April 1892. p. 4. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    15. "Death of an Interpreter". The Ballarat Star . Vol. 50, no. 15324. Victoria, Australia. 19 June 1905. p. 5. Retrieved 29 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    16. "Sydney Libel Actions". The Express and Telegraph . Vol. XXX, no. 8, 934. South Australia. 29 August 1893. p. 3. Retrieved 26 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    17. "Nolle Prosequi". The Evening News (Sydney) . No. 8202. New South Wales, Australia. 14 September 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 29 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    18. "News". The Sunday Times . No. 487. New South Wales, Australia. 17 November 1895. p. 7. Retrieved 25 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    19. "The "Australian Field"". The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) . No. 6713. New South Wales, Australia. 15 December 1900. p. 15. Retrieved 25 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    20. "An Adventurous Journalist". The Mercury (Hobart) . Vol. LXVIII, no. 8276. Tasmania, Australia. 7 September 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 29 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    21. "Personal". The Sunday Times . No. 803. New South Wales, Australia. 9 June 1901. p. 7. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    22. "Pen and Ink". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 19, 722. New South Wales, Australia. 28 May 1901. p. 4. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    23. "A Curious Drawing". The Evening News (Sydney) . No. 10, 598. New South Wales, Australia. 29 May 1901. p. 5. Retrieved 25 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    24. "He's Got 'em Again". The Worker . Vol. 15, no. 7. New South Wales, Australia. 15 February 1906. p. 5. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    25. "Social Items". The Sunday Times . No. 817. New South Wales, Australia. 15 September 1901. p. 11. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    26. "Social Items". The Sunday Times . No. 826. New South Wales, Australia. 17 November 1901. p. 11. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    27. "The Bates Testimonial". The Propeller . Vol. VII, no. 334. New South Wales, Australia. 27 July 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    28. "Mortdale 'Flu Fighters". The Propeller . Vol. IX, no. 451. New South Wales, Australia. 24 October 1919. p. 6. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    29. "Town Clerk Honored". The Propeller . Vol. IX, no. 457. New South Wales, Australia. 5 December 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    30. "A Municipal Veteran". The Propeller . Vol. X, no. 485. New South Wales, Australia. 18 June 1920. p. 2. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    31. "Law Report". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 17, 911. New South Wales, Australia. 14 August 1895. p. 7. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    32. "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 26, 472. New South Wales, Australia. 8 November 1922. p. 12. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    33. "Family Notices". The Sydney Morning Herald . No. 25, 849. New South Wales, Australia. 9 November 1920. p. 7. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    34. "The Commonwealth and State Honours list". The Canberra Times . Vol. 45, no. 12, 697. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 1 January 1971. p. 6. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    35. "Pugilistic Aldermen". The Propeller . Vol. V, no. 216. New South Wales, Australia. 23 April 1915. p. 2. Retrieved 29 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    36. "Mortdale's Thousand Bricks". The Propeller . Vol. X, no. 504. New South Wales, Australia. 29 October 1920. p. 5. Retrieved 29 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    37. "Mortdale Celebrations". The Propeller . Vol. XVI, no. 791. New South Wales, Australia. 30 April 1926. p. 6. Retrieved 29 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    38. "Letters to the Editor". The Register (Adelaide) . Vol. XCIII, no. 27, 229. South Australia. 21 November 1928. p. 2. Retrieved 29 January 2022 via National Library of Australia. contact with Nootnagel after 50 years!
    39. "Our Soldiers at the Front". The Propeller . Vol. VIII, no. 379. New South Wales, Australia. 7 June 1918. p. 2. Retrieved 29 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.
    40. "Advertising". The Propeller . Vol. V, no. 218. New South Wales, Australia. 7 May 1915. p. 3. Retrieved 28 January 2022 via National Library of Australia.