Joan Morrison (1911 – 18 March 1969) was an Australian cartoonist and book illustrator. She signed her work Morrison and is best known for drawing "The Morrison Girl".
Born in Wrotham, Kent, England in 1911, Joan Morrison moved with her family to Tasmania three years later. Her earliest work was published in the [1] and Tasmanian Mail, including the Christmas editions of the latter in 1927[2][3] and 1929.[4][5]
She moved to Sydney to study with Rayner HoffatEast Sydney Technical College, where her work was described as having "originality and verve in every line".[6] Hoff stressed the importance of studying anatomy, "especially for black-and-white artists a full knowledge of the skeleton and the muscles of the human body is absolutely necessary, if one's work is to be at once vigorous and correct."[7] While still a student, she was encouraged by Norman Lindsay to create illustrations for a Hans Christian Andersen book.[8] While still at Tech she won first prize for a figure study in the 1930 Australian Watercolour Institute's exhibition.[9]
In 1929, Morrison and Mollie Horseman were the first two women to be appointed cartoonists by Smith's Weekly.[10] Both were caricatured and written up in that publication in July 1932.[11] By 1935 she was known as "creator of the whimsical Morrison girl, a very imp of mischief with all the allure of audacious innocence".[12] In an article about cartooning in Walkabout, Jack Horner described her depictions of women as "lively Australian demi-mondaines".[13] The Morrison girl took over in popularity from Virgil Reilly's Virgil girl in Smith's Weekly.[14]
In 1940 she met English critic Neville Cardus who commented on her work, "She has depicted the Australian girl in all her grace as no other artist has succeeded in doing."[15] Her cartoons were popular with men serving overseas in the Army, Navy and Air Force during World War II.[16]
Morrison worked as a freelance illustrator from 1950.[17]
On 2 January 1936 Morrison married Alan Lyon O'Connor Wilkinson[18] (31 December 1902–27 July 1987).[19][20] He served in the RAN during WWII and later worked as a port pilot and ships' surveyor.[21][22]
^Morrison, Joan (1 December 1924). "The Casket of Gold". The Triad. Vol. 10, no. 2. pp. 52, 54. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
^"The Christmas Mail". The Mercury. Vol. CXXVII, no. 18, 743. Tasmania, Australia. 1 December 1927. p. 8. Retrieved 9 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^""Illustrated Mail"". The Mercury. Vol. CXXVII, no. 18, 744. Tasmania, Australia. 2 December 1927. p. 8. Retrieved 9 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^""Illustrated Mail"". The Mercury. Vol. CXXXI, no. 19, 369. Tasmania, Australia. 5 December 1929. p. 8. Retrieved 9 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Christmas Panel". Illustrated Tasmanian Mail. 4 December 1929. pp. B. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
^"Sundry Shows". The Bulletin. Vol. 47, no. 2443. 9 December 1926. p. 34. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
^"Training Young Artists to Earn a Living". The Daily Telegraph. No. 17. New South Wales, Australia. 21 August 1927. p. 28. Retrieved 9 July 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Watercolours". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 28, 793. New South Wales, Australia. 17 April 1930. p. 20. Retrieved 14 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Joan Morrison's Number". Smith's Weekly. Vol. XXII, no. 44. New South Wales, Australia. 28 December 1940. p. 1. Retrieved 14 November 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Joan Morrison in Moresby". Smith's Weekly. Vol. XXIV, no. 18. New South Wales, Australia. 4 July 1942. p. 5. Retrieved 1 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Anna and the Morrison Girls". Smith's Weekly. Vol. XXIX, no. 33. New South Wales, Australia. 11 October 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 1 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Appointment of Surveyors". Commonwealth of Australia Gazette. No. 60. Australia. 1 October 1959. p. 3468. Retrieved 1 February 2024 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Family notices". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 March 1969 – via The Ryerson Index.
