Tag Archives: Vic Runtz

Vic Runtz Collection #1

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Here are some 75-year-old Vic Runtz cartoons from the Charlottetown Guardian I’ve enjoyed over the past few months. Plus ça change…

Newfoundland, a Canadian province for only one year, announced the creation of a provincial museum while PEI could never seem to get beyond the talking stage (and still can’t to this day). July 14, 1950, page 4
July 8, 1950, page 4.
Scrappy little Summerside’s new federal government building (now the site of the Summerside Rotary Library) was under construction while Charlottetown still waiting. April 20, 1950.

Tourism Insert August 1949

I am in love with this busy map from a special tourism section in the August 13, 1949 edition of the Charlottetown Guardian. It reminds me of picture books I had as a child, lots of busy vignettes, new details emerging with every viewing. And Vikings speeding towards PEI!

I can’t read the signature at the lower right, but it could be the work of the Guardian’s cartoonist at that time, Vic Runtz, who did sign some of the lovely drawings included in the rest of the special section. Catherine Hennessey wrote a beautiful tribute to him upon his death in 2001. He was a very fine editorial cartoonist and I hope his work has been or will be exhibited on PEI.

Vic Runtz editorial cartoon August 13, 1949 Charlottetown Guardian, including his signature cat wearing a bowtie, possibly to give some balance to the rah-rah tourism insert.
Vic Runtz editorial cartoon in the June 21,1949 Charlottetown Guardian reacting to promises being made in that year’s Canadian federal election, promises still being made (and broken) today.