Norman Thelwell: The Beloved English Cartoonist Who Captured the Spirit of Ponies and Countryside Life

March 23, 1923

Dearest reader,

On this day, we celebrate the birth of Norman Thelwell, an English cartoonist whose charming and witty drawings have brought joy and laughter to countless admirers, especially those who cherish ponies and horses.

Though he began life far from the equestrian world, Thelwell became synonymous with the humorous trials and triumphs of pony life, often capturing the quirks of young riders and their spirited steeds with gentle affection and keen observation.

In his evocative 1978 book, From a Plank Bridge by a Pool, Thelwell painted a poetic portrait of nature’s enduring grace. He wrote:

"When I look at the tree in the dark days of winter, its huge green-black skeleton silhouetted against the ashen sky, or hear its tracery seething in a westerly gale as I lie snug and warm in bed, I wonder who it was planted this giant for so many generations to enjoy.

And in the balmy days of summer when its leaves are overlaid like the breast feathers of a great bird to form high domes of rounded foliage, I wish I could call back this gentle spirit of the past and say,

‘This is your tree.

Look at it now, for it is gracious beyond words.’"

What a beautiful meditation—capturing the soul of a tree through the seasons and imagining the hands that once planted it, long vanished but still present in the gift of shade and shelter.

Thelwell’s art, whether in his detailed cartoons of plump ponies or in such poetic reflections, reminds us to see and treasure the quiet wonders of the natural world around us.

Dear gardener and reader, next time you see a bare winter tree or the lush canopy of summer leaves, might you pause and ponder its story?

Who planted it, who has enjoyed its shade, and what whispers of the past it holds?

Norman Thelwell invites us to honor the living legacy of each tree and each garden as a graceful, enduring testament to time and care.