Apr 8
Margaret Thatcher RIP
During my first ten years of my career as a cartoonist, Margaret Thatcher loomed large. I was working in the UK for a variety of daily and weekly publications and Maggie was residing in 10 Downing Street as Prime Minister of Great Britain. She seemed to be a hovering presence in my life for a decade.
I drew her just about every week. She was sharp-nosed determined character with little humor. Small in stature, Thatcher proved to be a large conservative force for change in both the the UK and the world. Her determined style won her many friends and enemies among citizens of the country and ย the cartoon community.
She was a friend to cartoonists because her dogged right wing politics provided mountains of inspired scorn-filled cartoons. She was an enemy to many cartoonists because few supported her conservative agenda.
While assembling my new book Daggers Drawn: 35 Years of Kal Cartoons in The Economist I found scores of cartoons I produced about the Iron Lady over the years. I attach a handful here. If you have favorites from years past let me know and I will try to dig them out.
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Hey Kal, loved to see these Thatcher images. Best thing in the midst of TV and radio recollections. Sums her up brilliantly. How you all doing? When are you next this side of the water?
Love to Sue, C
Kal, one of my favorites was of Mrs T. waving a union jack, or balancing a stack of sandwiches. I can’t remember exactly, but it was an Economist cover you drew in the late 1980s and I remember it set off for me a semi-career in caricature drawing. Please post it if you have it. Thanks for all your great work!
Really enjoyed your book launch at the Walters, Kal. I’ve done a blog post titled Bob and Me and Kal to promote your book. I tweaked and used eight or nine of Bruce Guthrie’s fine photographs to illustrate. Here’s the link: doodlemeister.com/