— HoWC: People
Vernon Lorimer b. c.1889
Artist (Printmaker), Artist (Painter), Designer (Graphic Designer), Artist (Cartoonist / Illustrator)
Early 20th century Melbourne trained cartoonist, illustrator and commercial artist. Most of Lorimer's illustrative work was done for the NSW Bookstall Company.
NameVernon LorimerGenderMaleRoles
Artist (Printmaker)
Artist (Painter)
Designer (Graphic Designer)
Artist (Cartoonist / Illustrator)
Birth datec.1889
Birth placeCarlton North, Melbourne, Vic., North Carlton, Melbourne, Vic.
Birth noteAge given as 25 years 188 days on 25 February 1915.Active Period
c.1908 - c.1929
Residence
c.1915 Armadale, Melbourne, Vic.
Languages
English
Initial Record Data Source
Black and white artists
Biographical Data
b. c.1889 Carlton North, Melbourne, Vic., North Carlton, Melbourne, Vic.
Biography
1 biography
Associates
5 people
Groups
Works
Exhibitions
Collections
3 collections
Recognitions
References
12 references
Biography (312 words)
cartoonist, illustrator and commercial artist, trained as an artist in Melbourne. The NGA holds his poster for the Melbourne 'Art Students Annual Bal Masque’ of July 1911, a hand-coloured line block of a student with palette and brush (ill. Butler p.11). He contributed to Lone Hand, e.g. 'After the show was over’ 1 August 1912, 322-23, and drew at least one cartoon for The Comic Australian, 'The Comic Australian Surfing Academy’ 20 January 1912. While serving in WWI he contributed to a servicemen’s anthology.
Most of Lorimer’s illustrative work, however, was done for the NSW Bookstall Company. He began illustrating their books in 1908; a second followed in 1913 and 11 known illustrated books appeared after the war, in 1919-25, with his busiest period being 1922-23 (ill. Mills, 36). The Triad (10 August 1923, p.40, quoted Mills p.34), reviewing some of the Bookstall’s publications, praised Percy Lindsay 's artwork but had reservations about Lorimer’s illustrations to a racing story, The Jumping Double, by Charles E. Sayers:
“The artist is a Mr. Vernon Lorimer, and we can’t like him as we like Percy. Mr. Lorimer’s illustrations have a newly-laundered and badly-pressed look, and the head of the horse facing page 151 would put a Chinese dragon to the blush [ill. Mills p.36].
“Mr. Lorimer’s peculiarities are intensified in his drawings for another new book, Mr. A. R. Falk’s negligible shocker. This time he experiments with sawn-off figures…”
Mills notes that Lorimer is caricatured from his own pen in the 1922 Rowlandson memorial volume (the NSW Bookstall’s publisher) as something of a hack and suggests he was forced to make a living as a commercial artist against his inclinations. For Art and Australia 1924-29 he did advertisements for the Commonwealth Bank. A linocut, 'The Surf Beach’ c.1923, edn 30, is listed in Lebovic & Warner’s Fifty Years (cat. 62, not ill.).
Writers:Kerr, Joan
Date written:1996
Last updated:2007
https://www.daao.org.au/bio/vernon-lorimer/personal_details/
— Australian Army Museum of Western Australia:Collection: Vernon Lorimer Artworks (best source of relevant imagery)
— Vernon Lorimer: Invaluable: Sold at Auction
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