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Etta Hulme, Political Cartoonist

© Susanna McLeod

Cartooning has traditionally been considered a career for men, with women only occasionally breaking into the line-up. Etta Hulme took up the challenge of adding her flavour of fine drawing, irony and all-around funny view of the landscape of politics, becoming one of the small number of women in political cartooning in the 1950s.

The artistic journey began in Texas for Etta Hulme. She attended the University of Texas at Austin, earning a degree in Fine Art. She made immediate use of her training by landing a job in a Disney animation studio in California.

Etta worked in animation for two years. She returned to Texas where she created commercial art in Dallas and Midland. Her skills led her to teaching in a San Antonio art school. Doors to career choices were still opening and so Etta moved to Chicago, Illinois to draw the Red Rabbit comic books. *(1)

Political cartooning beckoned in the 1950s. Etta again moved back to Austin, Texas and began freelancing for the Texas Observer. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram took on the now-famous artist as a full-time editorial cartoonist in 1972.

Etta’s husband, Vernon Hulme, was a manager of exploration and coal operations for Texas Industries. He was an environmentally concerned fellow. Upon locating a huge vein of coal in Thurber, Texas in 1977, Mr. Hulme insisted that, “Great care is to be taken to minimize damage to any area around the work.” Etta said of her husband’s project, “He even had to make sure to protect rare warblers that annually migrated over Thurber.” He passed away in 1983.

Looking like a mild-mannered grandmother, this woman in her late 70s is direct and blunt in her cartooning work for The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She takes on the hard political issues of the day with a huge sense of humour and points out the obvious errors of politics. She is unafraid to stir up the pot, even getting disgruntled mail from readers. One such letter contained a copy of her cartoon panel about the Second Amendment (for gun control) clipped from the newspaper. It had several bullet holes shot through it, by someone who disagreed with her opinion. *(2)

When asked, on a women's panel at the NCS, about hindrances to women in the cartooning field, Etta has experienced few barriers because of her gender. “The biggest obstacle for me has been most of you editors and the biggest asset has been white out,” quipped the cartoonist.

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