Sunday, September 07, 2008

Query Corner: Edward S. Hynes

"Dear mother, as you've advised me, I am constantly on my guard"

This week's query corner concerns a cartoonist from the 1930s and 1940s. Edward S. Hynes was active in the 1930s, '40s and '50s. The Internet reveals that he contributed to journals like London Opinion and was a regular cover artist for the early Men Only (when it was a pin-up mag).

Born in 1897, Hynes seems to have published only one book of cartoons, Cocktail Cavalcade, published by T. Werner Laurie in 1937. He died at his home at Bayfield, Newquay, Co. Clare, Eire, on 12 May 1982. His funeral took place at Corcomroe Abbey.

Anyone know anything else about him?

(* the pic. at the top of the column is from an original art board sold by Christie's in 2004.)

4 comments:

  1. Perhaps a little late, but I've found a bit about him in Mark Bryant's Dictionary of Twentieth Century British Cartoonists and Caricaturists. Not much more than you have, except that his middle name was Sylvester, he was born in Burren, Co. Clare, was brought up in Nottingham, served in the Merchant Navy, did three years as a medical student, went back to sea, and eventually became a cartoonist. He retired to Burren, where he painted. I've added an article on him, which includes details of the magazines he worked for, and a copy of the cartoon I've shamelessly stolen from you, to the Irish Comics Wiki.

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  2. I own a delightful oil painting by Hynes that I came across at an antique show in Northern Michigan.
    While it is not titled, I have come to refer to it as "The Horse Traders". The scene depicts a group of 12 overcoat wearing men milling about and talking while holding the reins of 3 horses. Perhaps a pre- or post horse racing scene? The back of the painting has a label that indicates it was bought from M. Haden at Cregan's Castle Hotel in Co. Clare Ireland. How it found its way to Northern Michigan is unknown. danroache@gmail.com

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  3. Edward Sylvester Hynes was known locally as Lolly. His grandmother on his mother's side was Mary Anne O'Flaherty, a descendant of the O'Flaherty's of Connemara, who ruled the area from the thirteenth to the late seventeenth centuries. His grandfather, again on his mother's side was Dr. Robert Willis of Oughterard, Co. Galway, a close friend of Sir William Wilde, father of Oscar Wilde, and is frequently mentioned in Wilde’s classic book “ Lough Corrib” published in 1867. Dr. Robert had a passion for local history and talent as both a writer and an artist. He made a series of rubbings on muslins of all the soffits of the architraves of the banqueting hall at Aughnanure Castle in Oughterard and presented them to the R.I.A. in Dublin. Dr Robert and Mary Anne Willis had six children, the second oldest child Eliza, married in 1885 a doctor, Charles Hynes from Nottingham, who died in 1942. They had four children, and it was Edward or Lolly who followed in his grandfather’s footsteps and became an artist. Some of his oil paintings can be seen in Sweeney’s and Egans Lake Hotel in Oughterard, Co. Galway.

    I am currently doing research into the O'Flaherty family for an upcoming publication and came across your blog so I thought I'd share some of my findings!

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  4. I have an original cartoon which was drawn of my officer father at a party after the war at the Hotel Cristallo in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy signed 28th February 1947 with the line "Darling, lets dance the rhumba first and then you can tell me how Montgomery used to take your advice, afterwards"

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