In the days before press photography, Auckland cartoonist William (“Blo”) Blomfield began his journalistic career sketching dramatic news events. These ranged from everyday stories, to important political issues such as women’s suffrage, to what later in life became his specialty: covering high profile (and sometimes scandalous) courtroom drama.
William Blomfield and Auckland Star newspaper staff. Schmidt, Herman John, 1872-1959 :Portrait and landscape negatives, Auckland district. Ref: 1/1-001243-G. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/23222465
Blomfield, William, 1866-1938. Blomfield, William, 1866-1938 :Behold, she stands at the door and knocks. New Zealand Observer April 1913.. Ref: H-712-009. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22322246
One of his most significant assignments came in the immediate aftermath of the Tarawera eruption in June 1886. New Zealand Herald dispatched the 20-year-old Blomfield on short notice with nothing more than the clothes he was wearing and a £12 expense stipend. His task: to ascertain whether the famous Pink and White Terraces had truly survived. Blomfield journeyed by train, trap, and borrowed horse into the disaster zone, trekking through increasingly deep volcanic ash and persistent aftershocks until he reached Lake Rotomahana. His eyewitness sketches and firsthand report delivered the first direct confirmation to the public of the devastating reality that the natural wonders had indeed been destroyed in the violent blast.
Blo truly made his mark at the New Zealand Observer. In 1892, he co-purchased the struggling publication and helped turn it into a powerhouse weekly known for its biting political commentary and courtroom caricatures. Unlike the stiff, heavily cross-hatched cartoon styles of the Victorian era, Blomfield pioneers a looser, more expressive style of drawing that brought a palpable energy and vitality to the page. In this, he paved the way for generations of New Zealand cartoonists.
Blomfield, William, 1866-1938. Blomfield, William, 1866-1938 :The spirit of his fathers. New Zealand Observer, Christmas issue, December 1915.. Various artists :Collection of newspaper clippings, photocopies and bromides of cartoons by various cartoonists. Ref: A-312-1-088. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22888949
Blomfield was also an active civic leader, serving as the second mayor of Takapuna from 1914 to 1921. He kept cartooning right up until his death in 1938, leaving behind an valuable legacy of visual wit and local history.
William BlomfieldAged 71
