RUPERT BEAR CENTENARY EXHIBITION
THE BEANEY , 18 HIGH STREET , CANTERBURY , CT1 2BD
Until Sun 7 March 2021 ( Closed Mondays ) Admission free , donations encouraged
BRING YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS ALONG AND JOIN US FOR THIS INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION CELEBRATING RUPERT BEAR ’ S CENTENARY !
You will get the opportunity to be immersed into magical seasonal landscapes , enjoy a story corner , play interactive games , and create your own story , as well as engaging with many original collections and artworks from the museum ’ s collection ( some of which have never been on display before ), whilst learning more about Canterbury ’ s Mary Tourtel , the creator of Rupert Bear .
November 8th 2020 was the 100th anniversary since Rupert the Bear first appeared in print in the Daily Express newspaper .
The tale of Rupert Bear is rooted firmly in Canterbury and begins with the story of the Caldwell Family . The Caldwell ’ s were artists who worked on the restoration of stained-glass windows at Canterbury Cathedral . Their daughter , Mary , attended Simon Langton Girls ’ School and then studied at the Sidney Cooper School of Art in Canterbury before going on to marry a man named Herbert Tourtel .
Herbert worked for the Daily Express , and knowing his wife was somewhat of an artist , she was asked by the newspaper to invent a new children ’ s character . Her creation , Rupert Bear , was born . Rupert first appeared in the Daily Express on Monday 8 November 1920 , in a single frame illustration called the ‘ Little Lost Bear ’, and continued to run in the paper every day thereafter .
Mary Tourtel illustrated and wrote her Rupert stories until 1935 , after which Albert Bestall continued the strip cartoons and became well-known for the Rupert annuals – a number of which are on permanent display in the People and Places gallery .
Join The Beaney for this interactive exhibition which will celebrate 100 years of Rupert , linking to the museum ’ s varied collection of Rupert the Bear objects and artworks .
Free entry , donations welcome , Rupert activity bags available ( at a charge ).
thebeaney . co . uk
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