The first exhibition on the work of the political cartoonist, Sidney Strube (1891-1956) took place at the Political Cartoon Gallery, 32 Store Street, London WC1E 7BS, starting 25 November 2004. The exhibition coincided with the launch of the first ever Strube biography published by the Political Cartoon Society. Strube was the editorial cartoonist of the Daily Express between 1912 and 1948. During these years, he assisted in no small way to making the Daily Express the best selling national newspaper in the world. In 1931, on a salary of £10,000, Strube became the highest paid man in Fleet Street. In 1915, Strube enlisted in the Artists Rifles Battalion and served on the Western Front alongside other artists and writers such as Paul Nash and Wilfred Owen. He regularly sent cartoons for publication direct from the trenches. Strube’s greatest creation was the ‘Little Man’, which represented the man in the street, a figure of whom large sections of the population then identified with.

During the 1930s, Strube’s ridiculing of Hitler and Mussolini often led to the Daily Express being banned in Germany and Italy. Strube’s name, alongside many other prominent critics of Hitler’s regime, was discovered on a Nazi hit list after the war. What they have said of Strube: Winston Churchill: “In my opinion Strube is one of the greatest cartoonists the newspapers have had in this country for many, many years.” Stanley Baldwin: “Strube is a gentle genius, I don’t mind his attacks because he never hits below the belt.” Lord Beaverbrook: “I think Strube has a greater influence in public life than anybody.” Field Marshall Lord Kitchener: “Strube is a genius! And in this time of stress and sorrow his sense of humour and power of conveying it are invaluable.”

The Political Cartoon Gallery is open Monday to Friday 9am – 5.30pm and on Saturdays between 11am – 5.30pm. Phone Dr Tim Benson on 020 7580 1114 for further details or email him at info@politicalcartoon.co.uk