Cartoonist Photographs

Here are a few cartoonist photographs that I came across on eBay.


Roland Coe, perhaps best known for his pre-war NY Post "Crosstown Cartoons." He had a wonderful sense of character movement and a sweeping wash style. One of those journeyman cartoonists, who did a lot in his day. Heck, he was a professional cartoonist at the age of fifteen. Unfortunately, he is largely forgotten today.

Related: my friend Ger Apeldoorn has some later Roland Coe samples here.



Marty Links was the creator of the cartoon panel BOBBY SOX, a comic that out-ran its fashion based title due to its longevity -- So, Ms. Links changed the name of the feature from BOBBY SOX (which was the title from 1944 to 1951) to EMMY LOU (1951-1979). More BOBBY SOX/EMMY LOU samples here.


Veteran cartoonist Jeff Hayes. From a 1952 Editor and Publisher article by Erwin Kroll via Stripper's Guide:

"'Cartooning is my work,' Mr. Hayes explains, 'but selling is my hobby. I love to sell.'"

[...] Mr. Hayes, a native of Newburgh, N. Y., came to New York City in the twenties to study at the Art Students League or, as he puts it, "to bum around for a while." Later he joined the ad­vertising art staff of the New York Journal, where he stayed for 12 years. After a stretch of comic book work for King Features, he joined Consolidated News Features as general art handyman, doing sports and editorial cartoons and, at one time, three daily comic strips—"Pop," "Silent Sam" and "Witty Kitty." Besides "Chip" he still does "Silent Sam," also known as "Adamson's Ad­ventures."

Fred Neher (1903-2001), whose single panel comic strip LIFE'S LIKE THAT was syndicated for 43 years. Nary an example of the panel was to be found by me on the Web. Yeah, 43 years. And I found just one small JPEG of it online. Please let me know if you have better luck ....

EDIT: I was misinformed. I misspelled Fred Neher's name. My thanks to Rippee (see comments below).

Of course, spelling his name correctly really does help. Now I can find his Lambiek page and cartoons.

Sorry about that, Rippee -- and everyone else ....

Creator of MUTT AND JEFF, Bud Fisher (1885-1954). Fisher arguably created the modern comic strip -- he certainly was one of the earliest creators to hit it big. He soon farmed MUTT AND JEFF out to unnamed ghosts while continuing to reap the majority of the feature's profit.

People forget how big the strip was. And there was ancillary income. For instance, there was a series of animated MUTT & JEFF shorts (a link to one here). Fisher, ever the egomaniac, was fond of telling people that he wrote and drew all of the cartoons all by himself -- in the paper and on screen.

The above 5 photographs from the Lewis Wayne Gallery.

This is not an endorsement of the Gallery, but I did like these photos that are now offered for sale via eBay.