Obscurity of the Day: Mrs. Dingle's Diary

F.M. Howarth did most of his newspaper cartooning work for Hearst, but he did make an occasional foray elsewhere. Of course, with his incredibly distinctive style, he certainly wasn't about to try moonlighting under the radar.

In 1907-08, Howarth did several series for the Chicago Tribune, including this one, Mrs. Dingle's Diary. I rather like the idea here that we see the gag acted out, but then Mrs. Dingle's inner thoughts sometimes put a different spin on the situation (best in the top example).

Mrs. Dingle's Diary ran in the Tribune from June 9 1907 to March 22 1908. Sadly, Howarth was dead before the end of 1908, extinguishing his truly unique brand of cartooning.

Thanks to the late Cole Johnson, who supplied the sample images.