SirFrancis Carruthers Gould (2 December 1844 – 1925) was a Britishcaricaturist andpolitical cartoonist, born inBarnstaple,Devon. He published asF. Carruthers Gould and signed his cartoonsFCG.
Gould was the son of Richard Davie Gould (c. 1816-1900), a Barnstaple architect, and his wife Judith Carruthers (née Ford). Although in early youth he showed great love of drawing, he began life in a bank and then joined theLondon Stock Exchange, where he constantly sketched the members and illustrated important events in the financial world; many of these drawings were reproduced bylithography and published for private circulation. In 1879 he began the regular illustration of the Christmas numbers ofTruth, and in 1887 he became a contributor to thePall Mall Gazette, transferring his allegiance to theWestminster Gazette on its foundation and subsequently acting as assistant editor.[1][2]
Among his independent publications areWho killed Cock Robin? (1897),Tales told in the Zoo (1900), two volumes ofFroissart's Modern Chronicles (1902 and 1903), andPicture Politics — a periodical reprint of hisWestminster Gazette cartoons, one of the most noteworthy implements of political warfare in the armoury of theLiberal Party.[2] WithSir Wilfrid Lawson he publishedCartoons in Rhyme and Line (1905).
Frequently grafting his ideas onto subjects taken freely fromUncle Remus,Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and the works ofDickens andShakespeare, Gould used these literary vehicles with extraordinary dexterity andsatire. He was knighted in 1906.[2] Unpublished manuscripts and biographical material are in theHouse of Commons Library historical collections, kept in theHouse of Lords Record Office.
Carruthers Gould was responsible for designing eleven (11)Toby jugs ofWorld War I political and military figures between 1915 and 1920.[3]
His eldest son,Alexander, became a noted artist.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gould, Sir Francis Carruthers".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 284.
Media related toFrancis Carruthers Gould at Wikimedia Commons
