Fonds consists of editorial cartoons published in the Toronto Star 1980-1989 and in the Calgary Sun 1989-1994 which satirize events and political players in the national, international and provincial arenas. National leaders who feature prominently in the collection include Prime Ministers Pierre Elliott Trudeau, John Turner, Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell and Jean Chrétien; party leaders include Joe Clark, Preston Manning, Jean Charest and Audrey McLaughlin. Provincial leaders frequently lampooned include Bill Davis, Frank Miller, David Peterson, Bob Rae, Ralph Klein, Don Getty, Robert Bourassa and Lucien Bouchard. Subjects of international concern are Mikhail Gorbachev, George Bush, Boris Yeltsin and Saddam Hussein. Major events covered include the 1981 Constitutional Accord, the National Energy Program, the Meech Lake Accord negotiations, the Gulf War, the economy, free trade, Québec separatism, western alienation, unemployment and the cost-cutting measures taken by Alberta Premier Ralph Klein. Among the works are 93 colour works prepared for the Sunday edition of the Calgary Sun and, generally, are a larger format with more intricate detail. Larter is known for his love of machinery and his work often features drawings of novel vehicles and aeroplanes taking part in political mishaps.
Larter, John, 1950- : John Larter (1950- ) was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. He had no formal art training. From 1969-1971, Larter worked for "The Roughneck", an Alberta magazine published for the oil industry which also employed fellow cartoonists Vance Rodewalt and Edd Uluschak. From 1972-1974, he worked in the United States for several Los Angeles publications. Upon his return to Canada, he was staff editorial cartoonist for the following newspapers: "Lethbridge Herald" 1974-1978; "Edmonton Sun" 1978-1980; "Toronto Star" 1980-1989; and "Calgary Sun" since 1989.
