ANTON (aka Beryl Botterill Thompson/ Mrs. Antonia Yeoman) (Australian-British, 1907-1970): An original ink drawing relating to the theatre / burlesque

Anton (aka Beryl Botterill Thompson/ Mrs. Antonia Yeoman) (Australian-British, 1907-1970): An original Anton theatre drawing / cartoon

“It would be a tragedy for this country if the live theatre completely disappears”.

This humorous illustration relates to the theatre. The drawing features female burlesque performers on a stage, captioned, circa 1950s/ 1960s.

The work is in pencil, ink and wash on paper and is signed to the lower right ‘Anton’.

We believe it was possibly produced for Punch magazine or similar publication.

The work is framed, glazed and mounted.

Dimensions: Frame overall height 36cm x width 35.5cm, visible artwork within mount 24.9cm high x 25.1cm wide.

Condition report: Unexamined out of frame, in apparently very good condition – displays well.

The Artist

Anton (aka Beryl Botterill Thompson/ Mrs. Antonia Yeoman) (Australian-British, 1907-1970) was a cartoonist and illustrator. Training at the Royal Academy, she worked as a commercial artist from the early 1930s.

The ‘Anton’ illustrations were initially produced in collaboration with her brother Harold Botterill. However, by the late 1940s Antonia was producing the entire series alone.

‘Anton’ was known for humorous depictions of British characters such as this theatre drawing and in particular stylised members of British society, forgers, spivs and the aristocracy.

Antonia’s illustrations were clearly extremely popular. She created works for; The Evening Standard, Lilliput, Men Only, The New Yorker, Private Eye, Punch, and Tatler. Additionally, she designed advertisements for Moss Bros. as well as illustrating 17 books.

Notably, Yeoman was the only female member of Punch’s Toby Club and the first woman to be elected to the Chelsea Arts Club.

The Artist

Further reading:

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