sense of fun, his genuine sympathy with his subjects, and his kindly wit were on a par with his artistic ability. While drawing for The Bulletin he would produce the illustration “The Mongolian Octopus” (1886), an anti-Chinese cartoon which has been described as “the most scandalous and racist cartoon ever to grace the Australian media”. The Bulletin’s motto at this time was “Australia for the White Man”; May himself has been described as “openly racist and anti-Semitic”. It was often said that the extraordinary economy of line which was a characteristic feature of his drawings had been forced upon him by the deficiencies of the printing equipment of the Sydney Bulletin. It was in fact the result of a laborious process which involved a number of preliminary sketches, and a carefully considered system of elimination. His later work included some excellent political portraits. He became a regular member of the staff of Punch in 1896, and in his later years his services were retained exclusively for Punch and The Graphic. In 1898, he was a founder member of the London Sketch Club. He died from tuberculosis in 1903 at his home in St John's Wood, London. Influence and reputation May was a major influence on the style of cartoon drawing in the 20th century. In 1918, Percy Bradshaw wrote in The Art of the Illustrator that May "surely gave more magic to a single line than any draftsman who has ever lived, and he was unquestionably the creator of the simplified technique of modern humorous drawing". May's work was a major influence on David Low. Low recalled that his early aspirations were dampened when he saw the "intricate technical quality" of most Punch cartoons, which seemed too difficult to emulate: "But then I came on Phil May, who combined quality with apparent facility ... Once having discovered Phil May I never let him go." There was an exhibition of May's drawings at the Fine Art Society in 1895, and another at the Leicester Galleries in 1903. A selection of his drawings contributed to the periodical press. Examples of his work can be found at the leading Australian galleries, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum, and around three hundred drawings and watercolours are in the collection of Leeds Art Gallery. From 1892 to 1904 there were thirteen editions of Phil May's Illustrated Winter Annual, with three supplemental Summer Annuals.