William ‘Bill’ Papas was born on 15 July 1927 in Ermelo, South Africa. Following a failed business venture he immigrated to England and continued his education in the arts. Papas is primarily remembered as a political cartoonist for <em>The Guardian</em>.
Cartoonist and caricaturist William ‘Bill’ Papas was born on 15 July 1927 in Ermelo, South Africa, to Kostas Papas, a Greek immigrant banker and restaurant owner, and a Greek-German mother. Papas attended Pretoria Boys High School and absconded from home to enlist in the South African Air Force, aged 15 (he managed to enlist by lying about his age). During the Second World War, he served as a tail gunner, undertaking sorties along the coastline. After the war, he enrolled at Johannesburg School of Art and established an unsuccessful textile design workshop. At 20, in 1947, he immigrated to England and continued his artistic education at Beckenham School of Art in Kent and later at St Martin’s School of Art in London.
By 1949, Papas had returned to South Africa, just as the government introduced its openly racist policies. He found employment as an illustrator and journalist for the Cape Times, a prominent publication opposed to the ruling party, with his debut cartoon appearing in 1951. The following year, his illustrated book, Under the Table Cloth, came out. Between 1952 and 1958, Papas primarily worked as a freelancer but often contributed to both Drum Magazine (known for its critical stance against the establishment) and the Johannesburg Star. In 1958, his reporting on Nelson Mandela’s treason trials for the Johannesburg Star gained international attention, with reprints in different European papers, including the London Observer. Nevertheless, facing persistent censorship, Papas eventually left his journalistic career. He then briefly worked with his brother as a farmer and transporter of timber. However, by 1959 he was back in London and his outspoken anti-apartheid cartoons ultimately led to him being barred from re-entering South Africa.
In the UK Papas began working as a political cartoonist for The Guardian. He remained with the newspaper for 11 years, addressing topics such as the nuclear arms race, civil unrest in Cyprus, the Vietnam War, the Six-Day War, and Middle Eastern conflicts, alongside caricatures of UK politicians. His first regular cartoons, titled P.S. by Papas, introduced the innovative single-column 'pocket cartoon' format to the publication. In 1960, he adopted 'Papas' as his signature and shared the role of political cartoonist with Low until 1962. Following Low's retirement due to illness in 1963, Papas became the paper's sole political cartoonist. A recurring motif in his later work was a mouse holding a stopwatch. In 1968, a competition was held to name the character, resulting in the name Theodore. The mouse became so popular that Papas later created a political cartoon strip dedicated to it. Between 1964 and 1972, Papas also contributed to The Sunday Times and Punch and began collaborating with Oxford University Press (OUP).
Papas primarily worked in pen and ink, demonstrating a distinctive fusion of intricate detail and dynamic composition. His mastery of line conveys energy and movement, blending caricature with realism to balance humour and social commentary. His expressive, fluid style captures the individuality and dynamism of his subjects, whether depicting everyday scenes, iconic landmarks, famous politicians, or anonymous members of the public. Both his caricatures and illustrations show sharp observational skills, distilling complex narratives into essential, recognisable characteristics. His political caricatures were impactful yet avoided personal malice, focusing on policies rather than exaggerating physical traits. His oeuvre holds lasting significance, both as a reflection of its era and as a meaningful contribution to the journalistic record.
In additional to his journalistic career, Papas held several exhibitions of his work and received a number of awards. He was acknowledged as a commended runner-up for the Kate Greenaway Medals in 1964, 1967, and 1968 (an award presented by the Library Association for exceptional children's book illustrations by a British illustrator) for his work with the Oxford University Press. His cartoons were also exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery's 1970 show Drawn and Quartered: The World of the British Newspaper Cartoon 1720–1970. Posthumously, in 2004, his work was exhibited in the Guardian Newsroom under the title Papas politics people places.
Papas initially arrived in the UK with his first wife, Aroon McConnell, with whom he had three children. The couple divorced in 1969, and he married his second wife, Tessa Pares, in 1970. During this time, he also left The Guardian and relocated to his father's house in Greece, shifting his focus to painting and book illustrations. In the early 1980s, he moved to Geneva and later to Oregon, USA, where he briefly operated his own gallery. There, he exhibited his watercolours of American cities. William Papas died at Hotnarko Lake, Cariboo Chilcotin Region, Canada, on 19 June 2000, in a flying accident. In the UK public domain his works are held by the Guardian News & Media Archive, the British Cartoon Archive at the University of Kent, and the National Portrait Gallery.
Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [William Papas]
Publications related to [William Papas] in the Ben Uri Library