Ronald Searle's 1936 drawing from an autograph album that belonged to one Patricia M. Frost of Cambridge is not by a long shot "possibly the earliest work known by him," as claimed by Rainford & Parris Books of Bishop's Stortford, but still it may be the earliest drawing that an interested collector can expect to come across. By August of 1936, the sixteen year old's cartoons had been appearing weekly in the Cambridge Daily News since the previous year and it's stunning that he was well known enough locally to be sought after for the autograph at all. Searle's signature from this period has the middle initials W. F., for William Fordham. The accompanying cartoon reportedly represents a teacher, but more likely it is a graduating student, cigar and all. The cartoon looks reasonably accomplished for its day, but it doesn't in any way foretell the illustrator's future greatness.
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| Ronald Searle AbeBooks listing accessed June 6, 2023 |
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