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About Leslie Mervyn (Les) Tanner
Leslie (Les) Tanner was renowned for his sharp observation and quick hand, making him one of Australia's most famous political cartoonists. For over 40 years, Les was guided by a strong sense of social justice, boldly engaging with the global political landscape, and critiquing current events through witty caricatures, columns, and books.
Portrait of Les Tanner, 1997
Les was born to John and Lilian in Redfern in 1927. While his love for drawing emerged early, it wasn’t until he was exposed to printed drawings published in the newspapers that his father and sister worked for that he began to take his craft seriously. Les soon became enamoured with cartoons and after learning basic drawing skills from a family friend, he created his first illustrations for his high school paper. Keen to make a name for himself, he followed the family path and began working as a printer’s assistant.
From a hobby to a career
While studying at North Newtown Intermediate High School, Les was fortunate to be accepted as a fulltime art student at Julian Ashton School. Later in his life her reflected on how impactful this opportunity was for a working-class boy,
…The teacher listened to my mother's hard luck story and because I showed some talent, he took me on at a reduced rate, which was practically nothing.
His time at art school helped to channel his ability, and his cartooning soon blossomed from a hobby to career. While studying, he picked up night shifts at The Daily Telegraph where he had his first cartoon published in their in-house newspaper. Soon after, Les’s first paid cartoon was published in The Sunday Telegraph.
In 1944 Les met Bill Pidgeon in the artist room at The Daily Telegraph. Inspired by his work, he initially would mimic Bill’s style. The pair soon developed a friendship, often spending Saturdays together at the Windsor Hotel on Castlereagh Street. In a letter to Bill’s son Peter, Les remembers Bill "had his paper on the bar marking stories that might give him an idea for a cartoon". They would return to the work canteen for a cold pork sandwich and buy a bottle of dry sherry to share with the ladies in the social department next door to their rooms.
It was under Bill’s guidance and mentorship that Les began developing his own artistic style.
[Bill] would always look at what I was drawing and say things like ‘that’s funny, do more like that’ or show me books of the old masters.
In 1959, Les was beginning to make a name for himself in the cartooning world and made the career defining decision to leave Sydney for London for a stint at The Daily Sketch. Firsthand exposure to the world beyond Australia, coupled with his service with the Australian Army in post-war Japan cemented his commitment to fighting social injustices, and shaped the core themes of much of his future work.
On top in Oz
Les returned to Australia with renewed purpose. His appointment as cartoonist at The Bulletin in Sydney coincided with the 1960s revival of visual satire in cartoons in the media. Under Les’ guidance, The Bulletin was reinvigorated as the traditional home for black and white art.
Six years on, Les found himself at the centre of controversy by critiquing the then Victorian Premier Henry Bolte's pro capital punishment stance in a cartoon. Amid rising censorship debates, The Bulletin pulped the issue. While this could have been a career setback for some, Les secured a new role as chief political cartoonist at The Age in Melbourne, where he worked for 30 years.
Les’s talents extended beyond art. He wrote the column Tanner with Words for 27 years and published several books exploring the history of cartooning and censorship in Australia.
With a career spanning more than 40 years, Les was at the coalface of generational issues like the Cold War and the nuclear arms race, land rights, women’s liberation including the pill, pop art and drug culture. Les earned titles such as 'Cartoonist of the Year' in 1960, 2 Walkley awards (1962, 1965), and a Golden Quill in 1999 for lifetime achievement. He was also inducted into the Australian Media Hall of Fame. His legacy of challenging politicians through cartoons endures in Australian media.
Portion of the letter Les Tanner wrote to Peter Pidgeon, 2000
Further reading
- Design and Art Australia Online (n.d.) Les Tanner, DAAO website, accessed 26 June 2025.
- Foyle L (n.d.) Leslie (Les) Mervin Tanner, Australian Cartoonists Association website, accessed 26 June 2025.
- Petty B (n.d.) Les Tanner, Australian Media Hall of Fame – Melbourne Press Club website, accessed 26 June 2025.
- Pidgeon P (19 November 2020) 'Les Tanner Remembers', Pidgeon Post, accessed 25 July 2025.
- Tanner L (1998) Les Tanner interviewed by Ann Turner for the comic artists and illustrators oral history project [sound recording], National Library of Australia website, accessed 26 June 2025.