The Followers of Rupert Bear : Official "Rupert the Bear" Website
Mary Tourtel
Mary Tourtel was born in Kent in 1874, the daughter of a stained glass artist and stone mason. After Art school training, she became a professional book illustrator and married Herbert Tourtel, the a sub-editor of the Daily Express. Mary loved to draw landscapes, animals and people and was also, rather more surprisingly, a keen aviator! By 1920, she was a well-respected illustrator and Herbert still deeply involved with the Express. In a piece of fortuitous nepotism, Herbert arranged that Mary would draw a small cartoon feature telling the tale of a nameless "Little Lost Bear" in 1920 - largely to rival the now long-defunct Teddy Tail of the Daily Mail.
The little bear had baggier trousers than we now expect and was more overtly ursine than our Nutwood chum has now become. However, he was unmistakable from the outset - checked trousers and scarf, a small boy with a bear's head. Between 1920 and 1935, Mary wrote and illustrated many Rupert stories, introducing many of the well-loved characters including Podgy Pig and Bill Badger. During the 1930's, Mary began to find the Rupert work too much for her and a replacement was sought (and found, in Alfred Bestall). However, Mary continued to take a keen interest in Rupert right up to her death in 1948. Mary Tourtel spent much of her working life in the town of Canterbury. Mary Tourtel's work has received some fairly insensitive treatment over the years - re-drawing, crude colouring and re-hacking. Her verse in the story-telling was mostly fairly inelegant, but the quality of her original artwork is stunning - particularly the quality of the linework and her portrayals of animals. On top of that, she INVENTED Rupert, in almost the form that we see him now. He's rather less baggy, his trousers have turned from grey to yellow, his sweater from blue to red, but there's no mistaking Mary Tourtel's Rupert in the work of John Harrold that still graces the pages of the Daily Express.
Published by the Followers of Rupert Internet Elf.
350, Rullion Road, Penicuik, Midlothian
Scotland EH26 9AD.
Tel : +44 (0)1968 678 610
Rupert Bear©™Classic Media/Express Newspapers 2006. The Followers of Rupert are grateful for permission to use the images on this website.