Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
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Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on the creator of the fonds.
Level of description
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
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1953-1987 (Creation)
- Creator
- Norris, Len
Physical description area
Physical description
318 drawings
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
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Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Len (Leonard Matheson) Norris was born December 1, 1913 in London, England and came to Canada in 1926. Before becoming a cartoonist for the Vancouver Sun in 1950, Norris worked at several other jobs including weighing coal, operating a switchboard, and soldiering in the Canadian army during World War II. Pierre Berton, a nationally renowned historian and then-owner of Maclean's magazine credited Norris with "single-handedly changing newspaper cartooning in Canada," and introduced Len Norris into newspaper cartooning for the Vancouver Sun. He drew for the Sun in the editorial section for 38 years before drawing his last cartoon for the paper on December 24, 1988, and officially retiring at the age of 75. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Art, the News Hall of Fame in Toronto, and the Order of the British Empire. He was also given an honourary degree from Simon Fraser University. He died in 1997 at the age of 83.
Custodial history
The District of West Vancouver acquired 100 of the cartoons in 1989 for their Public Art Collection. 50 of these cartoons were displayed in an exhibition at the Ferry Building Gallery in 1992. In connection with the exhibition, Mr. Norris offered to make a donation to the municipal collection. An additional 218 cartoons were donated by Mr. Norris in 1992. The drawings were transferred to the West Vancouver Museum and Archives in 1994.
Scope and content
Fonds consists of original cartoons drawn by Len Norris while he was employed as the Vancouver Sun's political cartoonist. The cartoons depict various topics from local, provincial, and national politics.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
An inventory of all the cartoons is available.
Associated materials
Accruals
Alpha-numeric designations
BCAUL control number: WVAN-3626
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
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Control area
Description record identifier
Institution identifier
Rules or conventions
Rules for Archival Description
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Revised March 26, 2010