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West Van Archives Preserves Len Norris Cartoons by Reto Tschan and Carol Howie, West Vancouver Archives A sure sign that you have lived In the Vancouver area is the ability to spot a Len Norris cartoon. Drawn in his own inimitable style, and packed with wonky details, Norris's drawings illustrate a comic world of gentle social commentary. A resident of West Vancouver himself, many of Norris's scenes play out in the mythical landscapes of Amblesnide and Tiddlycove, and feature a host of eccentric characters: the harrumphing British colonel Rodney the indolent lout Henry, and the unruly urchin Filbert Phelps. Rather than a 148.WVA.NOR -- West Vancouver Archives. Len Norris fonds. "...and how was my little family on their first day of summer holidays...?" June 25, 1954. Cartoon by Len Norris. Toronto where he took night classes at the Ontario College of Art. To make ends meet, he worked at several jobs including weighing coal, working a switch board, and managing and directing an art agency After World War II, Norris became an art director for various Maclean Hunter Ltd. magazines in Toronto. It was on Pierre Berton's recommendation that Don Cromie, publisher of The Vancouver Sun, invited Norris west to draw political cartoons. Norris was initially reluctant to-- having done very little of this kind of work. A year of persuasion, however, convinced Norris and he joined the staff of The Vancouver Sun in January 1950. His first drawing was considered so good, it was page 3 political cartoonist, Norris considered himself a social commentator, saying: "I get at the events from the viewpoint of the readers themselves, looking at how the news affects them." His side-long glance, his whimsy, and his focus on the everyday lives of all of us are, perhaps, the reasons for his continuing relevance. That so many of his drawings resonate today -- over 25 years after his last original drawing appeared in The Vancouver Sun -- is a testament to Norris's timeless appeal. Leonard Matheson Norris was born in London, England, in 1913. At the age of 13 his family emigrated to Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay). During the Depression, Norris moved to