Skegness is SO... - Curated by John Byford
Skegness Town Hall ~ July 2008
Skegness Town Hall ~ July 2008
🇬🇧 Celebrating 100 years of the Jolly Fisherman
Skegness mayor Neil Pimperton - Skegness
The Jolly Fisherman: A Century of an Icon 1908 to 2008
To mark the 100th anniversary of the Jolly Fisherman, John Byford curated an exhibition celebrating one of Britain’s most enduring seaside characters. First drawn by John Hassall in 1908 for the Great Northern Railway, the Jolly Fisherman has danced across posters, postcards and memories for generations, his cheerful leap becoming a visual anthem for Skegness.
Across a century, the Jolly has been redrawn, reinterpreted, reinvented and occasionally lampooned. Satire has always been part of his story. One of the earliest parodies appeared in Punch shortly after the original poster was released, beginning a long tradition of playful and sometimes provocative reimagining.
In the 1990s, the Jolly appeared again in a bold and irreverent version by Viz magazine, which sparked lively debate within the town. As curator, John Byford insisted that the Viz poster was an essential inclusion. He felt it completed the story of the Jolly Fisherman and offered an honest reflection of the character’s journey through popular culture. Displayed with the offensive text covered, it acknowledged an important chapter that could not be erased.
Art is rarely quiet, and cultural icons earn their status not only through admiration but through discussion and challenge. To celebrate a figure who has travelled through 100 years of design, humour, nostalgia and social change, it was important to present the full spectrum of his appearances, from treasured emblem to the subject of satire.
The inclusion of the Viz piece prompted mixed reactions. Some believed it risked casting the resort in an unfavourable light, while others recognised its place within the wider story of the Jolly Fisherman. Yet differing opinions are often what shape a legacy.
The exhibition brought all of these versions together, serious, sentimental, commercial and subversive, revealing the Jolly Fisherman as far more than a mascot. He is a living part of cultural history, continually reinterpreted, constantly discussed and still smiling his way into the story of the British seaside.
Text and images  ©John Byford ~ All rights reserved