Unlocking the Treasures: Ernest 'Ern' Shaw (1891-1986)

Better known as 'the boy who wouldn’t grow up', Ernest Shaw was born in Hull in 1891 and was a well-known cartoonist, writer and illustrator.

He won a cartoon competition run by the Hull Times at the age of 12. His only artistic training was through a correspondence course with the Percy Bradshaw art school.

Shaw's own guide to being a cartoonist published later in his career [L.001]

Shaw's career began when he sold his first professional cartoon to 'Puck' in 1910. He freelanced for the Hull & Yorkshire Times before joining the Hull Times as a Sport cartoonist and caricaturist. He also worked for the Hull Daily Mail.

Shaw volunteered for service in the Royal Army Medical Corp in 1914, but continued to draw and be published in the Services Magazine. After the war, he took over a regular cartoon, 'The Gay Goblin', for the Family Journal after the death of the original cartoonist.

He went on to develop other comic strips and from the 1940s Shaw concentrated on the youth market. He created 'the Dingbats', which proved very popular with the public.

He showed his love of sports in his professional works. He had a long history with Hull City FC, sketching players from the stands, and his cartoons would often feature in the local press. Many of the players felt they had not 'arrived' until Shaw had drawn a cartoon of them!

One of the delights of working on 'Unlocking the Treasures' project is seeing how different subjects and people are so intertwined and connected. I originally 'discovered' Shaw through two of his own works 'The Jolly Gnomes Annual 1952' and 'How to become a Successful Cartoonist' [L.001].

The Jolly Gnomes Annual 1952 [L.001]

When processing a special events programme for the Palais de Dance, Anlaby Road dated April 1928 [L.793.3], I noticed his art work on the front cover with his signature in the bottom right hand corner of the programme.

Programme, 1928 [L.798.3]

A search of the History Centre catalogue showed that Hull History Centre holds several works by Shaw including a calendar produced by Richards, Hibbert and Co. Incorporated Marine and General Brokers, Hull, on which his work 'Protection' featured [C DISE/1].

Calendar featuring 'Protection' by Shaw [C DSE/1]

He obviously played a significant role in the local artistic and journalistic scene throughout his career. It will be interesting to see if any more of his artwork turns up as the 'Unlocking the Treasures' project continues.

Caoimhe West, Reader Assistant, Unlocking the Treasures Project