Chic, Cyril Jacob (1926 – 2000)

Chic Jacob original cartoon artwork

Chic Jacob was the son of the assistant publisher of the London evening Star. Chic worked for 13 years in the Circulation Department of the Daily Express, drawing cartoons in his spare time. His first cartoon for a national publication appeared in Everybody's in 1950, and after he was taken on by the art agent Ian Scott's Kingleo Studios his work began to appear in Punch and elsewhere. In 1964, he became the Daily Express staff financial cartoonist. On the Daily Express Jacob drew a series of pocket cartoons called "Chic-Feed", and also began collaborating with Les Lilley on the strip "Choochie and Twink". Jacob and Lilley also worked as freelance television scriptwriters, beginning with BBC TV's Vision On, and collaborated on radio scripts for comedians Dick Emery, Roy Hudd and Arthur Askey. In 1973 Jacob moved to the Observer, where he drew "Pinstripe" and other regular features.

Jacob's work also appeared in Picturegoer, Star, Daily Sketch, Daily Mirror, Sunday Dispatch, Accountancy Age, Law Society's Gazette, Spectator, New Statesman, Oldie, Insider and Private Eye. He finally left the Observer in 1992, on its merger with the Guardian. Chris Riddell, the Observer's political cartoonist, recalled that "they were turbulent times and Chic was rather carelessly let go, something he accepted with enormous dignity."