"Crackers the Pup" from Crackers, 1930s
Donald Newhouse was born in Norwich in the fourth quarter of 1883, the son of a watchmaker. He is recorded as boarding in Hendon in the 1911 census, when his profession was listed as "artist". His earliest identified work was for the comics of James Henderson & Sons, including The Big Comic (1917), Comic Life (1917) and Lot-o'-Fun ("Pitch and Toss", 1920-, taken over from Joe Hardman). His earliest work for the Amalgamated Press was "Bertie Blobbs" for The Funny Wonder in 1918, and when Hendersons were taken over by the AP in 1920, he worked for them more or less exclusively.
He was one of a small group of artists based in Norwich, including Louis Briault and Harry Banger, and around this time he took on an assistant, Roy Wilson, who went on to be a very successful comics artist in his own right, but for now allowed Newhouse to increase his output. Strips they drew include "Chips Comic Cinema" (Illustrated Chips, 1921), "Funny Films" (Jolly Jester, 1922), "Reel Comedies" (Funny Wonder, 1922), "Three Jolly Sailor Boys" (Comic Cuts, 1926), "Basil and Bert" (Jester, 1929), "The Happy Family" (Larks, 1927), and "Lizzie and her Comical Courtiers" (Jester, 1931).
Wilson left Newhouse's employ in 1933, and Newhouse continued to draw strips for the AP's comics through the 1930s and 40s, including "Crackers the Pup" for Crackers, "Gus Grit the Ancient Brit" for Jester, "Professor Noodles and his Natty Notions" for Funny Wonder. Clark says that in the late 40s and early 50s his work appeared in Gerald Swan's comics, but these must have been stockpiled work or reprints, as Newhouse died in Norwich in the first quarter of 1947.
References[]
- Alan Clark, Dictionary of British Comic Artists, Writers and Editors, The British Library, 1998, pp. 118-119
