The New Idea Drawings (1947-1950)

From 1947 onwards, Renn was a regular contributor to The New Idea magazine. Unlike the one-liners in The Australasian, the majority of these cartoons were illustrations of the various "women's issues" which the magazine focused on, such as: the dullness of Australian men, the relationship between the boss's wife and his secretary, and the pains of having a husband who plays the bagpipes. Where appropriate, the entire article has been copied so that the drawings can be seen in their intended context (and so that the humorous post-war writing can be enjoyed). Apart from cartoons, Renn also provided more conventional pictorial representations for romance and mystery stories. A couple of these have been copied as examples.

Due the large of number of cut-outs from this magazine, not all of have been reproduced here (although the vast majority have been). Where there has been editorialising, it has erred on the side of the comic and humorous.

'Unexpected Visitor', The New Idea, 17 December 1947

'The Battle of the Beef', The New Idea, 18 August 1948

'Some of My Best Friends are Men', The New Idea, 25 August 1948

'On His Blindness', The New Idea, 1 September 1948

'My Husband's Secretary', The New Idea, 13 October 1948

'Excelsior!', The New Idea, 2 March 1949

'Australian Men Are Dull', The New Idea, 2 March 1949

Handbags, The New Idea, 9 March 1949

'Woman's Age-Old Hoax Revealed', The New Idea, 16 March 1949

'Women' Shouldn't Shop', The New Idea, 30 March 1949

'Hats Are Dangerous', The New Idea, 22 June 1949

"The selecting of a new hat is one of the most delicate tasks in any woman's life."

The New Idea, 10 August 1949

'Morthers-in-law are all right!', The New Idea, 10 August 1949

Neighbours, The New Idea, 17 August 1949

Neighbours (2), The New Idea, 17 August 1949

'Who Stole My Stole?', The New Idea, 24 August 1949

'Dandies of Yesteryear', The New Idea, 31 August 1949

'Dandies of Yesteryear' (2), The New Idea, 31 August 1949

'Rhyme Folk Were Real', The New Idea, 31 August 1949

'Game for the Huntress', The New Idea, 7 September 1949

'Confessions of a Bookworm', The New Idea, 9 November 1949

'Romance and Chess', The New Idea, 9 November 1949

'Henry the Bantam', The New Idea, 16 November 1949

Milkbars, The New Idea, 28 December 1949

"That milk has developed into a somewhat glamorous drink is realised by people in all walks of life."

Hospital, The New Idea, 11 January 1950

'Hats before Love', The New Idea, 15 March 1950

'Movieland Memo' [with Doris Day], The New Idea, 19 April 1950 

Exam, The New Idea, 17 May 1950

'Husband's Hobby', The New Idea, 31 May 1950

'The Editor to You', The New Idea, 14 June 1950
[recurring title illustration for editorial section of magazine]