William Blomfield Cartoonist (1866 - 1938)

Born 1 Apr 1866 in Auckland, New Zealand

Ancestors

Husband of Anna Maria (Adams) Blomfield — married 11 Dec 1889 in Ponsonby, Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Descendants

Died 2 Mar 1938 at age 71 in Auckland, New Zealand

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Shirley Blomfield [send private message], K Anonymous [send private message], and Gail James [send private message]

Biography

William Blomfield Cartoonist is Notable.

Preceded by Ewen Alison

William Blomfield 2nd Mayor of Takapuna 1914 - 1921

Succeeded by Arthur Mason Gould

William Blomfield 'Blo' was born on the 1st of April 1866 in Auckland, New Zealand ^[1] to parents Samuel Blomfield of High Holburn, London, England and Emmaretta Collis of Leicester, Leicestershire, England^[2]

The year following his birth his family moved to Thames, a golf mining town on the Coromandel Peninsula, on the East Coast of New Zealand; later to become a popular retreat for Aucklanders to the sea side. ^[3]

In 1880, William was offered an opportunity to return to Auckland. His father found him a job in a paint and picture shop. Shortly afterwards, William began to train as an architect but by 1884 things were to change. In 1884 he was able to exchange his occupation as an Architect to take up a position with the NZ Herald. The catalyst was that he sold his first cartoon to the Observer, an Auckland-based weekly, receiving five shillings for his caricature work of a legislative councillor. He commenced as an articled pupil on the artistic staff of the New Zealand Herald thereafter.

Success From Te Ara NZ Encyclopedia: ^[4]

"He sold his first cartoon to the Observer, an Auckland-based weekly, receiving five shillings for his caricature of a legislative councillor. In 1884 he welcomed the opportunity to exchange the formal strait-jacket of architecture for comparative freedom as an articled pupil on the artistic staff of the New Zealand Herald.” "In 1887 Blomfield accepted an invitation to become an all-purpose wood engraver, litho artist and cartoonist for the Observer‘s successor, the New Zealand Observer and Free Lance. Usually known by its original name, the paper was the first of a lively new breed of illustrated weeklies that reflected the country’s blossoming social, sporting and cultural interests. Blomfield’s cartoons with their bold ‘Blo’ signature soon became a distinctive feature"

"By the time of his marriage in 1889, he had met William Geddis, a sub-editor of the Auckland Star, and in 1892 the two pooled their meagre resources and purchased the Observer. The paper’s sole assets were its copyright, cases of dilapidated type and some rickety furniture. Three years later they helped establish the Spectator, a similar Christchurch weekly. In 1900 they began the New Zealand Free Lance in Wellington, and the Auckland paper became the New Zealand Observer. Although Blomfield’s involvement with the Free Lance was short-lived, the Geddis family controlled the Wellington weekly until it closed in 1961. Geddis gave up his interest in the Observer in 1910, but Blomfield was to remain a substantial shareholder until his death"^[5]

William was to go on and work for the Observer for 51 years; a substantial amount of that time as cartoonist depicting noteable and noteworthy events of the day sometimes with notoriety.

"The Observer flourished until the late 1920s. Circulation and advertising dipped sharply during the depression, but the weekly fought back strongly with the popular formula of Blo cartoons and contributions from writers such as Robin Hyde and A. R. D. Fairburn. Blomfield was the Observer‘s cartoonist for 51 years. Every week for decades he drew a full-page, tabloid-size cover cartoon, two or three further full-pages, and another six to eight small block cartoons or caricatures. While this volume of work is unlikely to be matched by another cartoonist, his much more substantial contribution was to the development of cartoon art in New Zealand^[6]

Like other members of his immediate and extended family; he was a celebrated New Zealand cartoonist. He had also pursued a career in local council (Takapuna, New Zealand) as a politician^[7][8]

Marriage and Children

In 1889 William married Anna Maria Adams^[9] William married Anna Maria Adams in 1889 in New Zealand.^[10]

Anna Maria and William were to have 6 children:

1. William Leslie Blomfield
2. Ruby Alice (Blomfield) O'Meara
3. Eric Adams Blomfield
4. Irene Pearl Blomfield
5. William Alan Blomfield
6. Cyril Collis Roberts Blomfield

Mayor of Takapuna

William was a Councillor between 1914 to 1921 becoming only the second Mayor of Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand. ^[11]and see also ^[12]

In 1919 he was nominated Mayor of Takapuna second time. ^[13]In the image of William dressed as John Bull in this biography he was then Mayor of Takapuna and is pictured beside his sister in Law Amy Blomfield (the profile managers Grandmother head of the Takapuna Ratepayers Association and the first woman ever to be nominated to that position.

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal

In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal^[14]

Artistic Career

William produced cartoons for various publications including the Observer (later the New Zealand Observer), the New Zealand Herald, and also Free Lance.[4]

He produced cartoons for the Observer from 1887 until shortly before his death in 1938.[3] He was also a part-owner of the Observer from 1892^[15]

Death 1938 William passed away in New Zealand on the 2 Mar 1938^[16] He is interred at Purewa Cemetery Block C Row 5 Plot 41 Auckland, New Zealand. ^[17]

Research Notes

Profile Manager's Grand-Uncle 3 degrees.

Sources

1. ↑ "NZ Dpt. of Internal Affairs BDM Search"; [1]:Birth Ref: 1866/23611 William, to Emma Watts and Samuel
2. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blomfield
3. ↑ https://www.thecoromandel.com/
4. ↑ https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/4b41/blomfield-william#:~:text=William%20had%20been%20interested%20in,caricature%20of%20a%20legislative%20councillor.
5. ↑ "From great grandson Darren Blomfield"; [2]
6. ↑ https://blomfieldart.co.nz/my-own-style-of-art/
7. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Blomfield
8. ↑ http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/4b41/blomfield-william
9. ↑ NZ Dpt. of Internal Affairs BDM Search"; [3]:Marriage Ref: 1889/2752
10. ↑ Marriage: "New Zealand, Civil Records Indexes, 1800-1966"
    citing Marriage, New Zealand, registration number 1889/2752, Archives of New Zealand, Wellington.
    FamilySearch Record: Q24K-D3SP (accessed 28 January 2023)
    https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/Search/Search.aspx?Path=%2FqueryEntry.m%3Ftype%3Dmarriages
    William Blomfield marriage to Anna Maria Adams in 1889 in New Zealand.
11. ↑ "Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage ";[4] accessed 3 December 2021
12. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takapuna
13. ↑ "Papers Past, Takapuna Borough Council Election of Mayor"; [5] Accessed 9 October 1919
14. ↑ https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19350506.2.12
15. ↑ "William Blomfield | New Zealand Cartoon Archive". [www.cartoons.org.nz]
16. ↑ "NZ Dpt. of Internal Affairs BDM Search;"[6]:Death Ref:1938/15842 Death
17. ↑ "Find a Grave"; [7]