Reindeer

One of Searle's long running 'characters' was the reindeer which he used to great comic effect on multiple occasions. A relative of Searle's similarly pathetic horse motif, the reindeer says everything about the human condition.

 Young Elizabethan magazine, January 1959

 Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog

 This later cover was used as the basis for this promotional snow globe.

...and here's a version of the image sans reindeer

Holiday magazine

Christmas card design 1992

This piece is in the art collection of the British Parliament 'The ancient and rather touching ceremony of proceeding towards Christmas' 2009

More Christmas ephemera here

Merry Christmas!

Season's Greetings to all with the last post of 2016 featuring some Christms related Searle ephemera.

This original drawing sold at auction earlier in the year. It's actually annotated as a Valentine's Card but depicts a character - the reindeer - that Searle used many times on Christmas cards and advertising work. See more here

Russell Braddon was an Astralian author who survived the POW camps in the Far East with Searle. I wasn't aware of a follow up to his famous account of his POW years 'The Naked Island' until I saw this on Ebay. It looks like he commissioned his old friend to create his Christmas cards.

Another Ebay seller has been trying to off load a cache of private love letters sent from Searle to artist Ruth Cyril for the best part of 2016 including this Christmas card.

NY Times Book Review

'Attempted Bloggery' found an incomplete drawing by Searle with a Santa sketch. (The recipient was his U.S. rep. Eileen McMahon).  In his archive I remember seeing a collection of xeroxed pages Ronald had made of this drawing and others for the NY Times Book Review (7th September 1997). Ronald was known to art directors and art editors as a professional who would not only dispatch artwork on time but they would often be happily surprised to receive a whole batch of ideas on the same theme for them to pick from. This seems to be the case here where Ronald has offered a variety of Santa gags, perhaps for a 'Books for Christmas' feature? I can't find any reference to this artwork on the NY Times archive website. Maybe someone will be able to find a back issue for me?

Searle explored the 'art museum guard' situation several times over his career.

 An Arcimboldo-like Santa comprised of Christmas dinner!

 Santa delivers a giant bottle of ink on his nib-antlered reindeer!

More Christmas Searle here

Seasons Greetings

Amid Amidi at Cartoon Brew features the quirky Christmas card designs of Disney animator Ward Kimball.  Searle visited the Disney studio in 1957 and remained friendly with several of the animators including Kimball. Here is the animators' 1966 card to Ronald.

Kimball also sent this get well card to Monica Searle when he learnt of her cancer treatment.

Happy New Year 2013!

Welcome to 2013 folks!  As a special New Year treat for all you Searle fans I'll post one month a day from Searle's 1960 calendar . . .