Herbert Samuel "Bert" Thomas MBE (1883-1966) A caricature head study of Adolf Hitler surrounded by six key figures from the Third Reich, signed in pencil verso, ink heightened with white, unframed, together with a collection of approximately 24 further unframed ink studies predominantly of a WWII theme, including "The Biggest Bomb", "The Black Market", "The Airman's Wife", "Lucky Jim", "Nazi's Land in Devon", "The Army in Britain", "They'll Disappear into Their Little Homes", "King Spud", "Concentration", "The Dutch Canals are Deep and Large, no German Soldier Walks Alone", "The Bells Ring Again", "Sign of the V", "Bound for the Seven Seas", "What Chance has Adolf Got"¦", etc. together with further original artworks of a similar period including examples by Arthur Ferrier, * Coller, a larger quantity by Gilbert Wilkinson, some reputedly from the Women's Illustrated, Harry Rountree, Ricardo Brooks, Ernest Noble, Edmund Nelson and a number of anonymous story boards from "Diana's Diary" etc. 24.5cm by 16.5cm and various other sizes (a large collection)

Born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Bert Thomas was apprenticed to an engraver in Swansea in 1897. He pursued his artistic endeavours during his spare time and achieved his first professional acknowledgement as an illustrator with the sale of his first cartoon to the magazine "Pick Me Up". In 1900 Sir George Newnes, MP for Swansea and founder of "The Strand Magazine" saw some of his drawings and subsequently published them. This led to further commissions by the likes of Albert Chevalier (a popular music hall comedian) for a poster design, and based on this success, Thomas briefly moved to London. By 1913 he achieved critical acclaim through The Times. Perhaps his most famous cartoon was produced at the start of WWI "Arf a Mo Kaiser" intended to raise tobacco funds for soldiers, which was so successful, notoriously secured over £250,000 for the soldiers. During this period Thomas produced a number of wartime posters, and in June 1918 was awarded an MBE for his contributions to the war effort. Post war, Thomas worked as a freelance illustrator and in 1936 he joined the staff of the Evening News. With the advent of WWII, Thomas again produced many memorable posters including the series "Is Your Journey Really Necessary", along with many advertisements for highly recognisable brands such as OXO, Players Navy Cut Cigarettes and Comfort Soap. Thomas was a member of the Savage Club and the Chelsea Arts Club, making contributions to Punch until 1948 and the London Opinion until 1954.