black-and-white artist, was born in Queensland. He had no formal art training and the cartoons he contributed to the Sydney Bulletin in 1897-1934 were initially quite amateur looking – as well as obviously from Queensland, e.g. joke block about Toowoomba mosquitoes, published 25 June 1898. Most are effective and funny, eg Apollo up to date 10 December 1898, 27 (about a skinny nude bather). He was Hon. Treasurer of the Queensland Authors and Artists Association.

His style later became strongly influenced by that typically employed for Bulletin bushie gags. With Arthur Hoey Davis ('Steele Rudd’), he founded Steele Rudd’s Magazine in 1904, which lasted until 1907. The first issue was full of his illustrations in Bulletin bush manner, e.g. The Bush Funeral (p.12) and On a Bush Racecourse : 'The Black Gins Race. Ten starters, four ran into the scrub, three fell off./ “Yellow Liz on Black Beetle, by a neck”, said the judge’ (p.16). With Ruby Lind , Ruth Simpson and Norman Lindsay , he was one of the illustrators in Back at Our Selection , originally serialised in his magazine then published in book form in 1906. He also drew for Steele Rudd’s Annual (1917-22).

At the same time, cartoons signed 'E. Ashton Murphy’ occasionally appeared in the Brisbane Worker , e.g. (bush gag) Took His Pleasures Sadly (Grafting). 'Mac: “Not workin’, Jerry?”/ Jerry: “No; wouldn’t work every day for nobody. Want a rest sometimes.”/ Mac: “Watcher goin’ to do?”/ Jerry: “Oh, jest goin’ ter give ther ole man a hand sinkin’ a dam”’ 16 December 1899; Leahy’s Victims or Looking for Work (swaggie on bike and another walking with a dog) 20 April 1901; and (strong swaggie image) Pilgrims of the West . 'Bagman with the Pup (cynically): “A very merry Christmas, mate.”/ Mate: “Same to you, an’ many of them”’ 5 December 1908.

In the 1920s Murphy was employed by Joseph Cornelius Marconi (aka Joe Mahoney, son of Irish immigrants) to draw cartoons and do graphic designs that made extravagant claims for his Brisbane-based Goanna Salve, 'the Australian bush ointment’, which became an Australian icon.

Writers:

Kerr, Joan

Date written:

1996

Last updated:

2007