Lou Skuce
Thomas Lewis "Lou" Skuce | |
---|---|
Born | Thomas Lewis Skuce July 6, 1886[1] |
Died | November 20, 1951[2] | (aged 65)
Resting place | Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa |
Nationality | Canadian |
Alma mater | Lisgar Collegiate Institute |
Occupation(s) | Cartoonist, illustrator, playwright |
Spouse(s) |
Dorothy Edis
(m. 1913; d. 1928)Ruth Kipling Fraser (m. 1932) |
Parent(s) | James Skuce Margaret Boulger |
Thomas Lewis Skuce (July 6, 1886 - November 20, 1951), more popularly known as Lou Skuce, was a
Biography
Early life
Born in Ottawa, Skuce was an accomplished athlete in his youth. As a member of the Britannia Boat House Club, he won seven Canadian and one international paddling championships.[9] He also played rugby with the Ottawa Rough Riders, and ice hockey for at least one season at an amateur club in Winnipeg.[9]
Cartooning
Skuce became a staff cartoonist at the Ottawa Journal, and later moved to work at the Toronto Sunday World in 1909, working there until 1923.[9] He was the first Canadian cartoonist to draw three-colour front page illustrations, which allowed him to display his fine-art skills.[9] In 1914, Maclean's described him as a rising genius in his field.[9]
In 1923, Skuce moved to
During World War II, he did work for several comic books produced by Bell Features.[7]
He was also noted for a series of murals that he created for the Toronto Men's Press Club.[6][a] They were shown throughout the Canada by newsreel[11] and various publications, and were notable because Skuce drew them all in the living room of his home, relying solely on experience and memory.[2]
Work in the theatre
During his time in New York, Skuce became interested in playwriting and acting, and several of his plays (including Bill of 13) were produced.[2] His interest continued afterwards, and at his death he was President of the Toronto chapter of the American Guild of Variety Artists.[2]
Work for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Skuce had done a cover for a program for the Toronto Maple Leafs during their last season in the Arena Gardens in 1930, and did their first program when they moved to the then-new Maple Leaf Gardens in 1931. His artwork was also used in licensed jig saw puzzles in the 1930s, including one with the 1932 Stanley Cup Champions Maple Leafs.[12]
Impact
Writing about his style, Toronto Telegram columnist Ted Reeve once said, "Lou [Skuce] was a horse for work. Nothing was too much trouble, no detail in his work too small for him to look after."[9]
Skuce's fame did not last long after his death, as he had focused strictly on cartooning unlike contemporaries such as
He was instrumental in pushing for the creation of the
Notes
- ^ now known as the Toronto Press and Media Club
References
- ^ "Thomas L Skuce: Vermont, St. Albans Canadian Border Crossings". familysearch.org. December 27, 1925. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Lou Skuce, Cartoonist was Noted Entertainer". The Globe and Mail. November 21, 1951.
- ^ "Marriage". The Toronto World. June 26, 1913.
- The Toronto Star. November 14, 1928.
- ^ "Married: Skuce-Fraser". The Georgetown Herald. November 2, 1932. p. 2.
- ^ a b Bradburn, Jamie (June 15, 2010). "Vintage Toronto Ads: The Tip Top Man of the Class". torontoist.com.
- ^ a b c Kocmarek, Ivan (October 30, 2013). "Lou's Goose". comicbookdaily.com.
- ^ a b Tobias 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Tobias 2016.
- ^ a b Adcock, John (January 14, 2009). "Lou Skuce (1885-1951)". punchincanada.blogspot.ca.
- YouTube
- ISBN 978-1-7752117-1-6.
- ^ "Lou Skuce: Canada's Greatest Cartoonist, May 1 to June 30". Toronto Comic Arts Festival. 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-06-24. Retrieved 2016-06-02.
Further reading
- Tobias, Conan (2006). "The Art of Sport: Remembering 'Canada's Greatest Cartoonist'". Taddle Creek. 10 (1).
- Tobias, Conan (May 13, 2016). "Lou Skuce: The greatest cartoonist you've never heard of". The Globe and Mail. (excerpt from Tobias, Conan (2016). "Canada's Greatest Cartoonist: Lou Skuce's charmed and versatile career". Taddle Creek. 19 (2).)
External links
- Works by Lou Skuce (illustrator) at Faded Page (Canada)
- "Lou Skuce". Lambiek Comiclopedia. 10 January 2013.