John Henry Chinner (30 June 1865 – 15 December 1933) was a South Australian artist, best known for his caricatures of prominent people.
Chinner was born in Brighton, South Australia, son of George Williams Chinner (c. 1824 – 27 May 1880), and his second wife Mary Chinner, née Edwards.
Chinner, pḕre, arrived in SA before 1847, had a drapery shop on Rundle Street. He married Caroline Bowen (c. 1831 – 29 April 1861) on 6 April 1849. By 1859 he was a Hindley Street publican, Mayor of Brighton in 1860 and longtime councillor. He married Mary Edwards on 8 September 1863.In 1879 he was enrolled at Prince Alfred College as a boarder, and later was a prominent batsman in the annual cricket match against St Peter's College.
This was the start of a lifelong commitment as an active member and finally president of the PAC Old Collegians' Association, longtime member of the College Committee and for 22 years the Council's Honorary Secretary.[1] The family moved to Parkside around 1880 and Chinner became involved with the local church literary society, taught bible classes, and was promoted by Alfred Catt to Sunday school superintendent.His devout, methodical, serious nature and no-nonsense leadership style made the Parkside Wesleyan Methodist Sunday school an example that other churches sought to emulate.[1] His admiration for the Song of Australia as a National Anthem was tempered by Caroline Carleton's lack of reference to God, which Chinner made good with an additional verse:His interest in caricature was first shown with contributions to the Literary Society's magazine, in which he published sketches of fellow-members, and it was not long before his work was to be seen in the pages of Quiz, The Bulletin and London Punch.[2] He was a Fellow of the South Australian Society of Arts, and was urged by H. P. Gill to make a profession of his hobby.[1]
Outside these interests he was an accountant — he was for 31 years Adelaide manager for the Atlas Insurance Company, retiring in January 1925.[3]
Chinner produced a series of around 250 caricatures between 1923 and 1928 for the Adelaide Saturday Journal,[4] No. 1 being of the South Australian Governor, Sir Tom Bridges.[5]
Many of these were also carried by sister-publications The Register and The Observer.
The last of the series may have been of Charles Bastard, lessee of Adelaide's City Baths.[6] Around 180 of these are listed below:
| Name | Relevant article | Notes | ||
| Chinner monograms | This article | |||
| Abe Shannon | pastoralist philanthropist | |||
| Albert Ernest Clarkson | glass merchant | |||
| Albert James Hannan | Crown Solicitor | |||
| Alec Bagot | politician | |||
| Alexander John McLachlan | ||||
| Alexander Vigors Benson | Port Adelaide Racing Club | |||
| Alfred Austin Lendon | medico | |||
| Alfred C. Minchin | zoo director | |||
| Alfred Edward Simpson | architect | |||
| Alfred Jabez Roberts | business, sport | |||
| Alfred Norwood Day | railways | |||
| Alick J. Murray | pastoralist | |||
| Andrew Alexander Kirkpatrick | ||||
| Andrew Douglas Young | stockbroker | |||
| Angas Johnson | city health officer | |||
| Archibald Thomas Strong | scholar, poet | |||
| Arnold Edwin Victor Richardson | ||||
| Arthur Graham Rymill | ||||
| Arthur Nutter Thomas | ||||
| Arthur V. Kewney | Victoria Racing Club | |||
| Benno Seppelt | winemaker | |||
| Albert Edwin Hamilton | accountant, rose fancier | |||
| Bert Hinkler | ||||
| Brailsford Robertson | Thorburn Brailsford Robertson | Adelaide Uni | ||
| Brian Wibberley | Methodist | |||
| Cecil Thomas Madigan | Cecil Thomas Madigan | |||
| Charles Bastard | manager, City Baths | |||
| Charles Edward Goldsmith | None | Savings bank | ||
| Charles Edward Owen Smyth | ||||
| Charles Fenner | technical education | |||
| Charles Hawkes Todd Connor | None | mill owner | ||
| Charles Howard Angas | ||||
| Charles Richmond Glover | ||||
| Clem Hill | ||||
| Coleman Phillipson | International Law | |||
| Darnley Naylor | ||||
| David John Gordon | ||||
| Donald Reid | merchant | |||
| Douglas Mawson | geologist | |||
| E Harold Davies | ||||
| Ebenezer Daniel Hedley Virgo | None | stockowners' representative | ||
| Edgar John Field | None | public servant | ||
| Edgar Ravenswood Waite | ||||
| Edward Allan Farquhar | ||||
| Edward Erskine Cleland | lawyer | |||
| Edward Henry Rennie | ||||
| Edward Holdsworth Sugden | ||||
| Edward Howard Bakewell | ||||
| Edward Julius | forestry | |||
| Edward Lucas MLC | ||||
| Edward S. Kiek | Congregationalist | |||
| Edward Wheewall Holden | ||||
| Edwin Mitchell Smith | surveyor-general | |||
| Ernest Maurice Sabine | None | police magistrate | ||
| Ernest Pringle Ramsay | deputy postmaster-general | |||
| Ferdinand Lucas Parker | parliamentary clerk | |||
| Francis Villeneuve Smith | ||||
| Frank Lymer Gratton | 1000 voice choir conductor | |||
| Frank Marlow | secretary football league | |||
| Frank Moulden | ||||
| Frank Sandland Hone | ||||
| Frederic Wood Jones | ||||
| Frederick Allen Lakeman | merchant | |||
| Frederick Charles Bevan | Conservatorium | |||
| Frederick George Scarfe | ||||
| Frederick Taylor Whitington | ||||
| Frederick William Birrell | ||||
| Frederick William Bullock | ||||
| Frederick William Richards | ||||
| George A. J. Webb | ||||
| George Brookman | ||||
| George Davidson (minister) | Presbyterian | |||
| George Edward Young | ||||
| George Frederick Claridge | home for incurables | |||
| George Frederick Jenkins | ||||
| George Giffen | ||||
| George Hubert Wilkins | ||||
| George McEwin | councillor | |||
| George Richards Laffer | ||||
| Gordon Richardson | ||||
| Hans Heysen | ||||
| Harold Edward Winterbottom | Chamber of Manufactures | |||
| Harold Gordon Darling | ||||
| Harold Jack Finnis | Royal Agric. Soc. | |||
| Harold Septimus Power | ||||
| Harry Dove Young | ||||
| Henri Benedictus van Raalte | Art Gallery | |||
| Henry Barwell | ||||
| Henry Tassie MLC 01 | ||||
| Henry Thomas (miller) | ||||
| Herbert Allchurch | police prosecutor | |||
| Herbert Henry Ernest Russell | OBE | |||
| Herbert Mathew Hale | museum | |||
| Hermann Koeppen Wendt | ||||
| Horace Percy Beaver | town clerk | |||
| Immanuel Gotthold Reimann | ||||
| James Arthur Seymour | Chalmer's church | |||
| James Ashton | ||||
| James Gartrell | ||||
| James Hall | horse racing | |||
| James Hay Gosse | ||||
| James Jelley | ||||
| James Marshall | ||||
| James McGuire (railways) | ||||
| James Percy Morice | clerk of parliament | |||
| James Richard Fowler | ||||
| James Sadler | ||||
| James Walters Kitto | deputy PMG | |||
| James Wigham McGregor | manufacturer | |||
| John Baird, Lord Stonehaven | John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven | |||
| John Cowan MLC | ||||
| John Frederick Bailey | ||||
| John George Bice | ||||
| John Gunn MHA | ||||
| John Henry Chinner | (this article) | artist, by his son | ||
| John Lloyd Price | ||||
| John Marshall Reid | ||||
| John McInnes MHA | ||||
| John Millard Dunn | ||||
| John Sincock | govt reporting staff | |||
| John Stoward Moyes | ||||
| John Verran | ||||
| John White (South Australian painter) | ||||
| Joseph Verco | ||||
| Josiah Symon | ||||
| Julian Bickersteth | ||||
| Kerr Grant | ||||
| Lachlan McTaggart | pastoralist | |||
| Lancelot Stirling | ||||
| Laurence Hotham Howie | ||||
| Legh Winser | ||||
| Lennon Raws | Chamber of Commerce | |||
| Leslie Penfold-Hyland | ||||
| Leslie Salter | dried fruits board | |||
| Leslie Wilkie | ||||
| Lewis Cohen (mayor) | ||||
| Lionel Gee | Mines Department | |||
| Lionel Laughton Hill | ||||
| Lionel Lindsay | ||||
| Malcolm McIntosh MHA | ||||
| Maxwell Gavin Anderson | of Orient Line | |||
| Mellis Napier | ||||
| Napier Kyffin Birks | ||||
| Noel Augustin Webb | federal arbitration court | |||
| Norman Jolly | ||||
| Norman Murray Gladstone Gratton | Scotch College | |||
| Oscar Seppelt | ||||
| Oswald Vick Hoad | military commander | |||
| Owen Forbes Phillips | base commander Brig-Gen | |||
| Owen Hindmarsh Stephens | electoral college | |||
| P. William Vaughan | None[7] | Commonwealth Bank | ||
| Patrick McMahon Glynn | ||||
| Percy William Charlton Wise | canon Wise | |||
| Raymond Lionel Leane | ||||
| Reginald Robert Stuckey | under-treasurer | |||
| Reginald Victor Wilson | ||||
| Richard Butler MHA | ||||
| Richard Layton Butler | ||||
| Richard William Bennett | judge | |||
| Robert Duncan | ||||
| Robert Hugh Crawford | ||||
| Robert Scott Young | Bank of Adelaide | |||
| Robert William Chapman (engineer) | ||||
| Samuel Albert White | ||||
| Samuel Henry Prior | of The Bulletin | |||
| Samuel James Mitchell | Samuel James Mitchell | |||
| Samuel Joshua Jacobs | Samuel Joshua Jacobs | |||
| Samuel Perry | ||||
| Sid Torr | racehorse owner | |||
| Sidney Kidman | ||||
| Stanley Bruce | ||||
| Stanley Price Weir | ||||
| Sydney Talbot Smith | ||||
| Theodore George Bentley Osborn | ||||
| Thomas Henry Jones | ||||
| Thomas Pascoe MLC | ||||
| Thomas Payne Bellchambers | naturalist | |||
| Thomas Shuldham O'Halloran KC | ||||
| Thomas Slaney Poole | ||||
| Tom Bridges | ||||
| Victor Ryan | tourist bureau | |||
| W. G. T. Goodman | ||||
| Wallace Bruce | ||||
| Wallace Sandford | ||||
| Walter Edwards Chinner | of Wilkinson & Co. | |||
| Walter Ernest Rogers 01 | auditor-general | |||
| Walter Gill | ||||
| Walter Gordon Duncan | ||||
| Whitmore Blake Carr | ||||
| Will Ashton | ||||
| William Alfred Webb | ||||
| William Bennett (headmaster) | ||||
| William Hague MHA | ||||
| William Henry Foote | ||||
| William Henry Jeanes | SA Cricket Assn | |||
| William Henry Jeffries | Methodist conference | |||
| William Herbert Phillipps | ||||
| William Hutchinson Robinson | Methodist conference | |||
| William Jethro Brown | ||||
| William John Colebatch | Roseworthy College | |||
| William John Hill | both (Adel, Assoc) Chambers of Commerce | |||
| William John Masson | ||||
| William John Warren | State Bank | |||
| William Joseph Denny | ||||
| William Mitchell (philosopher) | ||||
| William Percival Nicholls | Pulteney Grammar | |||
| William Ramsay Smith | ||||
| William Reynolds Bayly | ||||
| William Rooke Creswell | ||||
| William Taylor McCoy | director of educ. | |||
| William Thomas Shapley | of Methodist conference | |||
| William Thornborough Hayward |
James Alfred Pearce (1873–1944) drew caricatures in a similar style for the Adelaide News in a series entitled "Familiar Figures" in 1930. No. 19, Frank L. Gratton may be viewed here. Pearce was born in Burra to Cornish parents.[8] Lionel Coventry (1906–1986) was a later News caricaturist, seen here and here (F. L. Parker in 1945 and 1949 respectively)
Although Chinner was best known for his caricatures, he was also a fine painter in watercolors.
He was also known for his skill as a poet, particularly as a hymnwriter.
He was deeply involved in municipal affairs, and was a longtime member of the Unley Council and served as mayor.
He was a board member of the Epworth Book Depot for over thirty years.
He was a lifelong supporter of Prince Alfred College in every aspect of its activities.
Chinner married Harriet Agnes Wallace (died 22 September 1948) at Parkside Wesleyan Church on 11 September 1889. Their children were:
They had a home at 33 Foster street, Parkside.
A few "notable citizens":