Canada Post’s week of honoring editorial cartoonists continues with Terry Mosher.
Terry Mosher is a mischievous wag with an aptitude for tweaking noses. Best known as an editorial cartoonist, he is also an accomplished historian and effortless storyteller, with 52 books to his credit. At 78, he remains a work in progress.
Mosher has drawn for more than a half-century under the pen name Aislin. He began at the Montreal Star in 1967 before moving to the Montreal Gazette five years later. He still draws two cartoons a week for the Gazette, adding to the more than 14,000 over his career. He’s earned two National Newspaper Awards, a gold National Magazine Award and five individual prizes from the International Salon of Caricature.
Inducted into the Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame in 2012, he is president emeritus of the Association of Canadian Cartoonists and an Officer of the Order of Canada. He is also the youngest person to be inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame. He was 43.
But the legacy he wants most is to be remembered as a good dad, good grandfather and “pretty good husband.” He’d also like to be remembered as a “pretty daring cartoonist,” a reputation he secured long ago.
Postes Canada profiles Terry Mosher here and includes a short video
in which Aislin says most good cartoonists can’t stand authority figures.
When he started cartooning, there were two taboo subjects: sex and the Royal Family.
“I could never tolerate restrictions of that kind and saw my chance to push the envelope during a 1973 visit to Canada by the Queen and Prince Philip.”
Mosher drew the royal couple as a ventriloquist and puppet, after Prince Philip had filled in for the Queen at a speaking engagement. (He added a subtle touch to the Queen’s feet.)
Days later came a letter from the Queen’s press secretary, asking: “What was the point in yesterday’s editorial cartoon?” Mosher’s reply read in part: “The point employed in yesterday’s cartoon was a triple-zero Rapidograph pen.”
Elsewhere Guy, at Bado’s Blog, gives us Aislin’s resume.