Stripper's Guide

NOTE: We are bypassing the issue of June 1914 because the online sources are missing this issue, and my collection of Cartoons Magazine is still in storage. We'll come back to it when my collection is accessible.

[Cartoons Magazine, debuting in 1912, was a monthly magazine devoted primarily to reprinting editorial cartoons from U.S. and foreign newspapers. Articles about cartooning and cartoonists often supplemented the discussion of current events.

In November 1913 the magazine began to offer a monthly round-up of news about cartoonists and cartooning, eventually titled "What The Cartoonist Are Doing." There are lots of interesting historical nuggets in these sections, and this Stripper's Guide feature will  reprint one issue's worth each week.]


CARTOON PLEASES DANIELS
So pleased was Josephus Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, with the cartoon on the abolishment of the wine mess in the navy, drawn by G. R. Spencer, cartoonist of the Omaha World-Herald, that he wrote to the artist, requesting the original copy.

The Spencer cartoon pictured John Barleycorn walking the plank, while a horn pipe-dancing sailor sang "Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of soda pop."

Another cartoonist to win the approbation of a cabinet officer is Luther C. Phifer of the Worcester (Mass.) Telegram. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, has been decorating a room in the Home Club at the National Capital with original cartoons, and has asked Mr. Phifer, together with other artists, to send representative drawings.





SUES THE BALTIMORE SUN
Thomas Parran, formerly Representative and recently appointed a member of the Maryland State Roads Commission, has instituted an action for damages against the A. S. Bell Company and Charles H. Grasly, president and general manager of the Baltimore Sun.

The claim for alleged libel is based on a news article, an editorial, a cartoon and a news item, all of which were published in the Sun. These publications criticised the naming of Mr. Parran as a member of the State Roads Commission.

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Richard Outcault, creator of "Buster Brown," was among the entertainers at the annual banquet of the Pulp, Sulphite, and Papermill Workers, at the Marlborough-Blenheim hotel, New York.

IRELAND HAS AN IDEA
"Billy" Ireland, cartoonist of the Columbus Dispatch, returned recently from an alligator-shooting trip to the Florida Everglades, with Governor Cox of Ohio and a party of friends on the yacht of R. F. Wolfe, proprietor of the Dispatch. The Everglades did not impress Ireland particularly. He writes:

"The Everglades are the most barren and hopeless stretch of the world's surface that I have ever seen, and in my opinion will never be turned into a commercial proposition, yet we ran into camps of land agents selling this hopeless stuff to tourists from the West. I wouldn't give my back yard for all of it." Meeting John Burroughs, Thomas A. Edison and Henry Ford in Florida impressed Ireland more than the scenery did. And somewhere along the route he picked up a thought that is worth considering seriously. Let him tell it:

"What will be the fate of the cartoonist when the woman in politics commences to hold office? At present we are surrounded with this suffrage thing, which is merely an offshoot of the big feminist movement. Surely we cartoonists have something to consider here. My thought is this — no woman can stand caricature! This is an absolutely established, fundamental inside formation of a woman's get-up. Just imagine our turning up a little further the already pugged nose of the good lady mayor, or making the embonpoint of the lady president of council, who is really putting in all of her spare time banting, more noticeable. Can't you see what we cartoonists are up against? The lady mayor bursts into tears and the president of council, who is surely no lady, introduces an ordinance prohibiting cartoonists from handling political subjects! I know what I am talking about. Only twice in my life have I had to make a cartoon of a woman, and upon both occasions there was h*** in camp and I lost two friends. I tell you, they can't stand it, and here they are fairly 'bustin' ' into our public life and we cartoonists sit idly by thinking we are secure in our position. Can't Cartoons Magazine start a discussion on the question: 'Will the woman in politics be able to stand caricature?' I say, 'No!'"
There is the basis for a lively interchange of opinion in Ireland's suggestion. Cartoons Magazine would be glad to hear from other cartoonists on the subject.

A NEW FIELD FOR CARTOONS
Frank Hammond, cartoonist of the Wichita Eagle, has drawn a series of cartoons to be used on the cover of the Official Bulletin published by the International Circulation Managers' Association. Sidney D. Long, circulation manager of the Eagle, and president of the association, writes:

"In striving to make the Bulletin more attractive, we looked about for features that would furnish the desired effect. We decided to use a cartoon for the cover, and the idea was a winner from the start. The cartoons served not only as a diversion, but gave at a glance the trend of the contents of the Bulletin, and emphasized the salient point made therein. I am convinced that in almost any line of publication the cartoon can be used to enhance the clarity of the printed word."

One of Mr. Hammond's cartoons is herewith presented. The circulation managers held their annual convention in June this year on a lake steamship.

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Clare Briggs, of the New York Tribune, has furnished the illustrations for Charlotte Hay Meredith's recent book, "Mrs. Linthicum and Mary Jane." The volume, which is a collection of newspaper sketches, is published by the Donohue Company, Chicago.

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Al Demaree, pitcher for the New York Giants, is drawing a series of cartoons for the Chicago Tribune, of which this is a sample.


CARTOONS IN PUBLIC SERVICE
Sponsors of various public betterment and uplift movements have begun to realize the fact that the cartoon can be used to great advantage. The appeal of a single cartoon that tells its story at a glance is wider and more striking than that of entire pamphlets of printed matter. Clare Briggs' cartoon for "Baby week" in Chicago was one that touched a universal chord.

In the "Safety first" movement that has spread across the country lately, the cartoon has been playing an important part. A rather gruesome but nonetheless telling cartoon is that of the "Pointing hands" drawn by Tom Vidor of the Grand Rapids Press. This cartoon, calling attention to the need of safety appliances, has been published widely throughout the United States, and is being sent out with the literature of the National Council for Industrial Safety.


STARRETT IN A NEW FIELD
After chewing up a box or two of cigars a day, pulling out his hair in tragedy-queen fashion, doing Marathons around the office while in quest of an idea, and bending for hours over a drawing board in the editorial rooms of the Knickerbocker Press, W. K. Starrett has for several months been paddling his own canoe as a free lance.

The accompanying sketch of Col. Henry Watterson, Kentucky's grand old editor, clipped from a recent issue of "The Editor and Publisher," will give erstwhile followers of Starrett an idea as to the kind of work he's doing now.


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A series of color cartoons has been drawn by A. S. Harkness of Springfield, lll., to be shown in the Topeka social-survey exhibit. Walter Storey of New York provided sketchy outlines, which were developed by Mr. Harkness into unusually clever and attractive cartoons, emphasizing important suggestions or criticisms of the survey reports.

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One of the featured acts in the recent Lambs' Gambol was the lightning crayon work of four cartoonists. They were Winsor McCay, R. F. Outcault, Hy Mayer, and George McManus. The exhibition of their skill was said to be one of the most pleasing bits on the program.

"PROF." DONAHEY NOW
James H. Donahey, cartoonist of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has been appointed lecturer in cartooning and caricature at the new School of Journalism established by the Western Reserve University at Cleveland.

Mr. Donahey went to Cleveland eighteen years ago from West Chester, where he had been a printer. He became cartoonist on the Cleveland World when he was only twenty years old. Mr. Donahey has been cartoonist on the Plain Dealer for the past fifteen years. In addition to his work there he has for years been instructor in the Cleveland School of Art, and has drawn extensively for magazines and other publications.

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Mr. Hearst has stopped his cartoon brigade from appearing in vaudeville. It seems that some of the cartoonists had more of a liking for the plaudits of the theater than real work, and Mr. Hearst politely informed the booking agents he was displeased. Result — canceled contracts.

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Clifford Knight, cartoonist of the Hartford Post, appeared on the same bill with Governor Baldwin of Connecticut at the annual banquet of St. John's Club at the Hartford Golf Club. Mr. Knight told stories about cartoonists and drew pictures.

OBJECT TO "OLD GLORY"
A protest against the use of the American flag in cartoons was voiced recently at a meeting of the American Flag Day Association at Chicago. Mrs. Katherine Swikard, president of the association, contended that so long as the federal laws prevented the use of the national emblem for commercial purposes, it should be unlawful to employ the Stars and Stripes as a cartoon subject. If the Department of Justice, which has been asked for a ruling on the matter, should decide in favor of the flag enthusiasts, it is to be presumed that Uncle Sam, who for so many years has been before the public in his familiar "Old Glory" costume, will disappear forever from the prints. How the cartoonists could manage to get along without him is a problem which the Flag Day Association doesn't undertake to solve.

RESENTED THE CARTOONS
Because certain cartoons appearing in the Lynn (Mass.) Telegram, directed against Ralph S. Bauer, "made life unpleasant for his son" to such an extent that the latter refused to attend school, Mr. Bauer recently obtained a judgment against Frederick W. Enright, publisher of the newspaper in question. Mr. Bauer was one of three plaintiffs, all of Lynn, who contended that the cartoons were malicious.

Mr. Enright pleaded guilty in the Superior court at Salem, Mass., and paid a fine of $300.

WHEN THE CYCLONE STRUCK
With the consolidation of the Chicago Inter Ocean and the Chicago Record-Herald, Russell S. Henderson, the sport cartoonist of the latter paper, began looking for new worlds to conquer. The coming in of the new management is referred to by Henderson as a cyclone which swept him, together with others, overboard.

During his connection with the Record-Herald Henderson had gained a wide following, mainly through his "Poker" series, picturing various phases of the national pastime. Before joining the staff of the Chicago paper he was connected with the Pittsburgh Post and the Sun. He filled the vacancy on the Record-Herald left by Ed Mack, who went with the Hearst syndicate in New York.

Labels: What The Cartoonists Are Doing