Stripper's Guide

[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.]



IS CARTOON ART ON THE DECLINE
The following rather pessimistic view of the present condition of cartoon art is taken from The Editor and Publisher. By his references to the “mud-dripping school,” the writer evidently has in mind such artists as Weed, of the Philadelphia Public Ledger, Boardman Robinson, now in Europe, Minor, of the New York Evening World, and Starrett, of the New York Tribune. The editor of Cartoons Magazine agrees that crayon work, if not done properly, deteriorates into mere “mud dripping,” but believes that the charge does not hold true against these artists, who are among the topnotchers in their profession. A great improvement in the work of the American cartoonists has been noted during the past year or two. Our trouble with Mexico, and later the European war, has brought out the best efforts of these highly trained young men. The pressure of preparing a daily cartoon may at times make their work appear somewhat sketchy, but to compare it with that of men like Nast or Bush, who had an entire week in which to draw a cartoon, is obviously unfair. The writer, also, seems to have overlooked some of the best cartoonists. How would he class Donahey, of the Cleveland Plain Dealer; Darling, of the Des Moines Register and Leader; Orr, of the Nashville Tennessean; Bushnell, of the Central Press Association; Cesare, and Carter, of the New York Sun, not to write a “Who's Who in Cartooning"?

Declares the Editor and Publisher:

“It cannot be truthfully said that cartoon art is on a higher or more artistic plane than it was twenty-five years ago. The trouble seems to be that most of the younger artists are not willing to spend the necessary time in acquiring a knowledge of the fundamental principles of drawing. The result is that much of the work seen in the newspapers is of the crudest kind. In the slap-stick alleged comic stuff that is printed crudity may be tolerated, but in cartoons of a more serious and ambitious character it is out of place and is inexcusable. Few of the artists are good draughtsmen. Some seek to produce impressive effects by resorting to all sorts of tricks to hide their ignorance of art of any kind. Of these the worst offenders are the mud-drippers, whose cartoons are done in charcoal or crayon. The figures in these pictures look as though a bucket of liquid mud had been poured over each one of them. Mud appears to be dripping from their faces, their garments, from the furniture, from the trees or any other object that happens to appear in it. You will find such cartoons in several of the New York newspapers.

“Contrast these mud-dripping cartoons with those of Nast, De Grimm or Bush, who did so much for the art years ago, or those of Rogers, of Ireland, of McCutcheon and of McCay, who are among the best of to-day's newspaper artists, and note the difference.

“Perhaps one reason why cartoon art is not better is because of the sudden and extensive demand for pictures of this kind that developed among the newspapers some fifteen or twenty years ago, and has continued until this day. Anyone with but slight skill found a market for his work. It was not a question of quality so much as it was quantity. Hence the indifferent character of both comics and cartoons with which the pages of the press have been and still are flooded.”

“BART'S” WELL-EARNED TRIBUTE
On the occasion of “Bart's" leaving the Minneapolis Tribune to take up his new work on the St. Paul News, the American Review of Reviews, which reproduced a number of his cartoons, said:

“In every one of the 50 volumes of this Review may be found the cartoons of Mr. Charles L. Bartholomew, of Minneapolis. He has been steadily at work since the first number of the Review was issued, in 1891, and the total number of ‘Bart' cartoons reproduced in this department and in other departments of the magazine exceeds the number credited to any other cartoonist.”

His work, the editor went on to say, dealt with big topics in an enlightened, broad gauge way, and every drawing pointed a lesson as well as served to tell a story.

SMALLEST CARTOON MEDIUM
The Bridgewater (Iowa) Times, according to its proprietor, Roy Bunton, is the smallest newspaper in the country publishing exclusive cartoons. It has only about 300 paid circulation. Mr. Bunton, who not only looks after the editorial and business interests of the Times, but also draws the cartoons, writes that “with the help of the local blacksmith I fashioned my own casting box (for the chalk-plate method) and I melt the metal in an old frying pan over an ordinary oil stove.” The cartoonist-proprietor hopes to sell his business in a year or so and devote his entire attention to newspaper art.

ROBINSON A WAR PRISONER
Boardman Robinson, formerly cartoonist of the New York Tribune, who went to Europe recently as a war correspondent, has been taken into custody by the Russians, according to newspaper reports. Mr. Robinson is familiar with continental Europe, having spent much of his life “loafing” and studying in Paris and Berlin. It may be that the Russians have mistaken him for a German, but the artist is both an American and a cosmopolitan. After leaving the Tribune he drew cartoons for Harper's Weekly, Life, and other publications, and his new book of war cartoons is one of the best contributions to the constantly growing library on the world conflict.

A CARTOONIST'S VACATION
Carl Garderwine, cartoonist of the Terre Haute Tribune, has been trying to take a vacation at Branch, Mich. “Thus far,” he writes, “I haven’t been very successful, for the natives hereabouts insist upon my drawing pictures for them. I have come to the conclusion that doctors and cartoonists lead about the same kind of a life. Ergo, if you want to enjoy a vacation, don’t make your self known.”

Mr. Garderwine, being good-natured, however, cartooned the local celebrities much to their satisfaction.

MIGHT BE NOTICED IN A CROWD
All of us have had bad dreams of walking down the street in scanty apparel, but the horror of the situation in real life is thus brought out by “Ding,” J. N. Darling, cartoonist of the Des Moines Register and Leader. A little girl, he says, ran out of a house and approached a good-natured policeman.

“I want you to please find Johnnie,” she said. “He’s my little brother and he's run away.”

“What was he like?” asked the cop.

“He’s three years old, and wears short pants.”

“H'm,” mused the policeman, “I’m afraid he looks like all other little boys if he wears short pants.”

“Oh, no, he doesn’t,” said the little girl. “He didn’t have them on!’’ (Copyright 1915, American Press Humorists.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Dallas cartoonist has decorated a Texas hen with the iron cross. She ought to be decorated with a cross of diamonds and pearls, and fed the best food in the world all the days of her life, for of such as she is the prosperity of America.—Florida Metropolis.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wood Cowan, reporter and cartoonist, who broke into the game on the Chicago Journal and the Chicago Inter Ocean, and later joined the staff of the New Orleans Item, is now connected with the New York Tribune.
-
A MONGOLIAN NAST
Ying Zane, a young Chinese art student of San Francisco, has been breaking into the newspapers out that way, and in Honolulu, as a full-fledged cartoonist. “To the best of my knowledge,” writes his instructor, “Ying is the first of the 400,000,000 of his race to show an aptitude for this particular art, and I consider myself fortunate in discovering such a rare specimen. What the Chinese equivalent of 'Open Sesame' to the Hall of Fame may be, I don't know, but I do know that if industrious application counts for anything, this little son of the Flowery Republic will land there feet first, and grab a niche among the big ones.”



CARTOONS PLEASE THE KAISER
According to Dr. Frank Bohn, formerly of the department of history at Columbia University, Emperor Wilhelm of Germany has been greatly amused by the American war cartoons. Dr. Bohn returned recently from Europe. “I was in one of the kaiser's offices,” he said, “one morning when the mail was brought in. It contained a great many clippings of cartoons from the American papers. Even the kaiser must be amused, and what better amusement could he have than to see himself as the Yankee cartoonists see him?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miss Lou Rogers, the suffragette cartoonist, has been on a tour through the state of New York, visiting county fairs and Chautauquas in the interest of “Votes for women.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A correspondent of the New York Evening Sun, speaking of Robert Carter's representations of Uncle Sam, says, “Mr. Carter rarely descends to caricature. His conception of Uncle Sam is a model for many of our artists, who picture him as a clown bedecked with the American flag, or as a ‘barker' for some advertising game.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Burt R. Thomas, cartoonist of the Detroit News, delivered a lecture on cartooning before the journalism class of the University of Michigan in connection with the graduating exercises. He is booked for a return engagement at the summer school.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Miss Beatrice Arkell Gillam, a daughter of the late Bernard Gillam, the cartoonist, was married July 28 to John Allan Love, of St. Louis. The wedding took place at Canajoharie, N. Y.

OSBORN’S DISTINGUISHED PUPIL
The suggestion of the Editor and Publisher that cartoonists take a course of instruction in how to draw the American flag prompts Harry Osborn of the Richmond Times-Dispatch to announce that he provided such a course more than ten years ago. He admits that his early correspondence school was not so very widely known for the simple fact that he had but one pupil, though a rather distinguished one— no other than Homer Davenport himself.

“I was working on a Philadelphia newspaper,” says Mr. Osborn, “where the editor had his own ideas about cartoons. To say the least, he was very particular. Davenport was drawing political cartoons that year for a syndicate. We received the service, and because of some difficulty over the mats, we had the original drawings sent to our office, and from them made our own cuts. I am not sure that the editor had any of them amended by our home talent, but I recall that he was sorely tried at times by reason of their broad style and utter contempt of detail. Finally his patience gave way entirely when Davenport came to the front with a Star-Spangled Banner that might have waved with equal purpose over the republic of Uruguay or the Confederacy. He called me in, and had me make a stiff little diagram showing accurately the proportions and design of the American flag as it would appear if pasted on a wall, and sent it to Davenport as a model of what the nation's emblem should be.

“I never heard any more about it, so I'm not sure that my famous pupil didn't throw the lesson in the waste basket.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

General Huerta and his gang are probably quite convinced by this time that Uncle Sam is not the easy mark some of his cartoonist friends have pictured him.—Stockton (Cal.) Independent.

OF GASES
(To the enemy, who has given praise to Heaven for the gift of poison.)

There is a gas your murderers make,
Not such as cleanly chokes the breath,
But dealing, just for cruelty's sake,
A long-drawn agony worse than death;
Nor do you deem it odd
To vaunt its virtues as a gift from God.

And there's a gas, the “laughing” blend
(Although its humour seems remote);
They peg the patient's mouth and send
A soporific down his throat;
And, like a child at dawn,
Waking, he finds a stump or two withdrawn

Such is the gas your masters' art
Gives you to deaden pain and fear;
They take and prize your jaws apart
When gaping wide for Munich beer,
Press-gag your mouth and nose,
And pump and pump till you are comatose.

Long draughts of strange and windy lies
Down your receptive maw you gulp,
Until the opiate seals your eyes
And Reason gets reduced to pulp;
So well the vapours work,
Like hashish on your torpid friend, the Turk.

But, when you breathe pure air again,
Sore with a sense of something missed,
And want to know who drugged your brain,
I envy not the anaesthetist;
You'll raise a hideous rout
On finding all your wisdom-teeth are out.

—Sir Owen Seaman, in Punch.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Penny Ross, creator of “Mamma's Angel Child” for the Chicago Tribune, has put Esther, the heroine of the series, in book form. Rand, McNally & Co. are issuing the book for the fall trade.



HARDING'S CARTOON IMPRESSES CHINA
A recent cartoon by Nelson Harding, of the Brooklyn Eagle, representing a diminutive Jap grasping the queue of a huge Chinaman, and making him bend, has been used as the basis of a campaign conducted by a party in China desirous of awakening the government there to the needs of preparedness. The cartoon, which is entitled “No Backbone,” was printed in red ink on poster sheets, and spread broadcast throughout the republic.

In Pekin the cartoon was the subject of a lecture delivered to a large gathering of citizens. The original text was supplemented by the following in Chinese:

“See the attitude of Japan and the abject attitude of China! Shall we blame the other side for the indignities heaped upon us? They are men like us—the difference being that they progress and become strong, while we remain blissfully weak. Let past mistakes be a lesson for us! Let us rise and march forward!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

W. Clyde Spencer, who for 14 years was cartoonist of the Denver Republican, died recently at his home in New York. Mr. Spencer was born in Indiana 40 years ago, and had lived there for the last six years, during which time he contributed drawings to the New York World and New York Telegram. He was a member of the Denver Press Club.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

C. R. Macaulay, author and cartoonist, is now drawing for the movies.

A MATCH FOR “TAD”
T. A. Dorgan, the cartoonist, was trying to hire a chauffeur the other day and went about it in his usually breezy style. When the first applicant appeared, “Tad” said: “Of course, I want a man who can speak French, play pinochle, curry a horse and make a Jack Rose cocktail.”

“Well, I can do ’em all and still have a few tricks up my sleeve,” said the chauffeur, with becoming modesty.

“Tad” looked him over and then said, suddenly: “I don't know. When I lamp your face and see your horn painted up that way it strikes me that you are a hard drinker and I don't want any hard drinkers driving a car for me and running me over some picturesque cliff.”

“You are wrong,” said the driver. "I am not a hard drinker, It comes easy to me.”

ROCHE IN ST. CLAIRE'S SHOES
John Roche, who has taken the place of Malcolm St. Claire as sports cartoonist for the Los Angeles Tribune.—Drawn by Dudley Logan, Los Angeles.

Labels: What The Cartoonists Are Doing

Here's a fun Garfield card from Argus Communications of Allen Texas, circa 1980s.

Labels: Wish You Were Here

King Features finally noticed by 1990 that they had no women cartoonists in their stable (if we don't count writer Bunny Hoest). Seeking to remedy that situation, they resolved to sign a female-created strip in the hope that they could catch fire with their own phenomen like Lynn Johnston or Cathy Guisewite. They chose Kathryn LeMieux's Lyttle Women, which they began advertising in 1990, but as best I can tell did not actually hit papers until February 4 1991*.

Lyttle Women starred a pair of kids named Irene and Amy Lyttle (hence the title). Irene is a tomboy while Amy is more into girly things like fashion. Both kids, though, are into female empowerment despite their differing personalities. As with many 'comics with a cause', the strip tried to walk a tightrope between humor and proselytizing.Too often the humor suffered for the cause, leaving editors and readers feeling like the strip was cheerleading for feminism more than it was offering laughs.

Perhaps Lyttle Women could have found a happy medium if LeMieux had been given more time to find it, but the plug was pulled after less than a year and a half, with the last strip appearing May 30 1992**. King's next female-created strip would be Between Friends by Sandra Bell-Lundy, which they picked up from self-syndication in 1994, and is still running today in 2020.

LeMieux later became one of the founding Six Chix, keeping her day in the line-up from 2000 to 2009. Today she is painting at her art studio in Tomales California.

 * Source: York Dispatch
** Source: Danville News

Labels: Obscurities

Frederick M. “Fred” Berkley was born on February 8, 1887, in Manhattan, New York, New York, according to his World War I and II draft cards. Nothing is known about his early life and education. An Associated Art Studios advertisement appeared in Cartoons Magazine, April 1916, and said Berkley had been a student. Berkley has not yet been found in the 1900 U.S. Federal Census or the 1905 New York state census.

American Newspaper Comics (2012) said his first of three New York World strips was The Flathouse Agent also known as Flathouse Agent Triggs. It ran from October 15, 1907 to July 14, 1908. His second series was Wot’s the Score? which ran from April 14 to May 7, 1909. His last was Among the Flat-Dwellers which began September 17, 1909 and ended October 21.

Berkley was news in a competing newspaper, the New York Sun, September 12, 1908.

Three Charged with Assault
The Man Beaten Said to Have Given Evidence in a Divorce Suit.
Frederick Berkley, a young man who said he was a cartoonist; his sister, Mrs. Hattie Feinberg, and his mother, Mrs. W.F. Berkley, all of 409 West 145th street, were locked up at Police Headquarters last night charged with assault and highway robbery by Jacob Gelot, a real estate dealer of 61 West 115th street.

Gelot said that the three, had waylaid him at 116th street and Madison avenue, knocked him down and beaten him, and while Mrs. Berkley and her son had held him the daughter had gone through his pockets and robbed him of $65. In the midst of this Detectives Walsh and McCullough ran up and bagged the three. Gelot was badly beaten.

The detectives were able to explain further the motive in the case. From conversation with the four persons they gathered that Mrs. Feinberg had recently been divorced on evidence furnished by Gelot. They had enticed Gelot to the spot by a letter and then proceeded to take their revenge.

Berkley has not yet been found in the 1910 census.

Berkley was a resident of Newark, New Jersey where he operated the Berkley School of Cartooning. Classified advertisements were published in the New York Evening Telegram, December 18, 1911, “A dollar a week will cover cost of learning to become a comic artist or cartoonist taught by practical cartoonist. Berkley School of Cartooning, Newark, N.J.” and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 14, 1912, “Artists. $1 a week will fit you for cartoonist, comic artist, or illustrator; taught by successful newspaper cartoonist. Berkley School of Cartooning, Newark, N. J.”

The 1912 Newark city directory had three listings for him: the proprietor of The Berkley School of Cartooning and Berkley-Freeman Company at 223 Market Street; Berkley and Howard Freeman of the advertising firm, Berkley-Freeman Company; and the Berkley School of Cartooning. In the 1913 directory Berkley’s residence was at 20 West Kinney and his school at 92 Park Place.



He copyrighted his school’s pamphlet in 1912.

In Fall 1913, Berkley’s school moved to Manhattan as reported in the New York Sun, September 28, 1913.

Reorganization of Berkley School of Art.
The Berkley School of Art, a duly organized corporation, has taken over the Berkley School, which was founded several years ago by a newspaper artist whose name it bears and who is still the head of it. This school is now located in the heart of New York’s business centre at 11 West Thirty-fourth street, opposite the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The Berkley School gives students the practical instruction in all branches of art work, teaching cartooning for newspapers and magazines, illustrating for books, fiction articles and title pages, advertising and commercial art work, designing of theatrical posters and the methods by which the artists work, is finally reproduced so that thousands of copies can be run off on the printing presses and reproduced exactly as the artist made the original drawing. For years the schools of art have overlooked the reproduction end of this work, but the Berkley School is one of the first to recognize and many students who have failed in other schools are now holding positions or selling their work, due to this very feature, which these other schools have heretofore overlooked.

The school was noted in Cartoons Magazine, December 1913.

The Berkley School of Art, Newark, N. J., has recently been incorporated with a capital of $50,000 by F. M. Berkley, and M. J. Ready of Newark, and F. J. Dever of New York City, to conduct schools of art, cartooning and caricature.

The 31st Annual Report of the State Board of Assessors of the State of New Jersey for the Year 1914 had a listing for the school.

Obsolete Securities (1923) said the Berkley School of Art closed in 1917.

At some point Berkley returned to Manhattan. The 1915 New York state census said he was married to Jessie. His step-son was “Milton S Loveaire”. The family lived at 155 Audubon Avenue. Berkley was an artist at The New York Times.

On June 5, 1917, Berkley signed his World War I draft card. His Manhattan address was 678 Academy Street. He was an advertising manager at the E.J. Goulston advertising agency at 225 Fifth Avenue, New York City. His description was tall, medium build with blue eyes and dark brown hair. He had the same address in the 1918 city directory.

Berkley was listed as a Yonkers, New York resident in the 1919 city directory. His address was 108 Valentine Lane. 

The same address was in the 1920 census. Berkley was a landscape artist and his step-son’s name was recorded as “Loverie W. Berkley.”

The 1925 New York state census recorded Berkley in Manhattan at 500 Fort Washington Avenue. The cartoonist had a new wife, Virginia. When the 1925 city directory was released his address was 217 West 259th Street and occupation newspaperman.

The 1930 census has a “Frederick M Berkley” in Cleveland, Ohio at 1932 East 97th Street. He was “single” and employed as an newspaper advertising man. His partner was Francis W. Hawes, a widow.

In 1933 Berkley patented a mechanical bowling alley.

Berkley has not yet been found in the 1940 census.

Berkley was in Manhattan at 5000 Broadway when he signed his World War II draft card on April 26, 1942. Berkley was unemployed. His wife, Virginia, was also named on the card. His description was 5 feet 11 3/4 inches, 160 pounds with blue eyes and gray hair.

The 1943 Manhattan directory listed Berkley at 1457 Broadway. He worked in advertising.

The Social Security Applications and Claims Index, at Ancestry.com, said Berkley filed a claim on February 15, 1952.

An obituary for Berkley has not been found. The New Jersey Death Index, at Ancestry.com, has a “Frederick M. Berkley” who passed away in November 1954.


—Alex Jay

Labels: Ink-Slinger Profiles

We've seen a number of so-called cartoonists in our Obscurities who truly should have been outlawed from wielding a pen, but Fred M. Berkley may hold the distinction for the highest profile attained by one of them. He managed to get three different series published and syndicated by the New York Evening World, one of the highest circulation papers in the country, and did so in a substantial period of at least three years. What the Pulitzer organization saw in him I cannot fathom.

The first and longest-lasting of Berkley's creations was a strip about an apartment building manager named Triggs. Despite setting himself up for a practical infinitude of gags, Berkley could only manage two -- Triggs can't keep up with the maintenance, and tenants fail to pay their rent. Even these two gag subjects fall resolutely flat time after time under the ham-handed direction of Berkley, who simply can't draw or write worth a damn. It has often been said that a newspaper cartoonist can get away with great art and bad writing, or great writing and bad art, but Berkley proves that a third option cannot be ruled out.

The strip was variously known as Flathouse Agent Triggs, The Flathouse Agent, The Flat-Dwellers, Triggs Has His Troubles, and other similar versions, and it ran from October 15 1907 to July 14 1908 as a weekday strip. I wonder if Berkley was himself a 'flathouse agent' as the subject seemed near and dear to his heart -- he would return to the same subject for his third series, Among The Flat-Dwellers.

The World finally wised up and didn't waste any more printer's ink on Berkley. He looked for greener pastures in the field of ... get this ...  art instruction! Berkley started the Berkley School of Art, in which he offered to teach youngsters how to "Make $40 to $100 per week" as newspaper cartoonists. No word on how many future cartooning greats were produced by Berkley's school, but it seems telling that one of the few pieces of documentation I can find about the school is a report of a legal judgment against them. 

Labels: Obscurities

John Rosol was born John Rosolowicz on June 14, 1911, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to his birth certificate at Ancestry.com. His parents were Nicholas and Annie Rosolowicz, both Ukrainian emigrants. On their naturalization papers the family name was spelled Rosolovicz; they arrived in the United States on March 12, 1903.

Philadelphia city directories listed Rosol’s father as a grocer (1914) and meat market owner (1915). The family lived at 4257 Wayne Avenue.

During World War I, Rosol resided at 1950 Bristol Street in Philadelphia. The same address was recorded in the 1920 U.S. Federal Census. Rosol was the youngest of three siblings. Their father owned and operated a saloon.

A 1940 issue of Ukrainian Life said

…[Rosol] attended the Gratz High School, and upon graduation received a four-year scholarship to the School of Industrial Art. In 1930 he took College Humor’s second contest award. After graduation from art school, he worked for the art department of The Evening Public Ledger of Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 3, 1995, said Rosol was “a graduate of Germantown High School … [and] received a bachelor of arts degree from the Philadelphia College of Art.” Biographical Sketches of Cartoonists & Illustrators in the Swann Collection of the Library of Congress (2014) said Rosol “trained at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art.”
 
The 1930 census said Rosol lived with his parents and sister in Philadelphia at 3944 North Smedley Street.

The Ukrainian Weekly (Jersey City, New Jersey), October 27, 1933, profiled Rosol.

Our Cartoonist
The “U. W.” has gained a staunch friend in the person of John Rosolowicz who wishes to contribute to its columns by sending in cartoons, free of charge, for which kindness we extend our most sincere thanks.

Mr. John Rosolowicz, 22 years of age, is a son of well known Ukrainian family in Philadelphia, Pa. His father M.[sic] Rosolowicz was for a long time one of the comptrolers [sic] of the U. N. A., and one of the founders of its first branch in Philadelphia. John’s sister, Mrs. N. Dubas, is a piano instructor, and well known for her appearances on the Ukrainian concert stage.

John, after completing high school studied in the Academy of Fine Arts, and then turned to cartooning as his specialty. He has contributed cartoons to the “Saturday Evening Post”, “The Country Gentlemen”, “Literary Digest”, and other publications. At. the present time he is connected with the Art Department of the Philadelphia “Public Ledger”.

In the 1930s Rosol contributed cat cartoons to The Saturday Evening Post. Biographical Sketches said Rosol’s The Cat and the Kid strip was created for The Saturday Evening Post. The Ledger Syndicate picked up The Cat and the Kid as a daily strip. American Newspaper Comics (2012) said it ran from March 8, 1939 to February 17, 1940.

Rosol had an entry in Who’s Who in American Art, Volume 1 (1935).

Rosol, John, 1437 West Cayuga St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Cart.—Born Philadelphia, Pa., June 14, 1911. Pupil of Pa. Mus. Sch. Indus. Art. Cartoons, Saturday Evening Post; Country Gentleman; Country Home; New York American, etc.

The Ukrainian Weekly, March 11, 1939 said “John Rosol, Comic Artist, Engaged by Philly Ledger”.

John Rosol (Rosolowicz), the young Ukrainian who drew саґtoons for the Ukrainian Weekly several years ago, and whose clev­er sketches have appeared in the Saturday Evening/Post and other American and English magazines, has now been engaged Philadelphia “Evening Ledger.”

Last Wednesday’s issue of the newspaper bore a streamer head­ line across the top of the first page, reading: “A new feature to­ day: The Cat and the Kid, by a new clever comic artist.” On a different page a similar announcement is made, but occupying much more space, in which it is stated that John Rosol is the “man who has made millions laugh with his clever cartoon sketches appearing in The Saturday Evening Post.”

Biographical Sketches said Rosol’s work appeared in Country Gentleman, Country Home, The New York American, New York Journal, and Judge.

On October 16, 1940, Rosol signed his World War I draft card. His address was 1437 West Cayuga Street in Philadelphia. He named his mother, who was at the same address, as next of kin. Rosol’s description was five feet nine inches, 134 pounds with brown eyes and hair.

Rosol was mentioned in The Ukrainian Immigrants in the United States (1939) and One America: The History, Contributions, and Present Problems of Our Racial and National Minorities (1945).

A 1940 issue of Ukrainian Life, announced Rosol had joined its staff. 

For King Features Syndicate, Rosol produced Here and There which ran in 1941.

Rosol’s Cat O’ Five Tails was published by the David McKay Company in 1944.

A 1946 issue of Advertising & Selling said “John Rosol, whose cats have found a home in the Post for years, has paid students for the use of their cartoon ideas.”

The 1950 Philadelphia city directory listed Rosol at 1511 East Pastorius.

The Inquirer said Rosol also drew the Bazooka Joe bubble gum comics for a period of time.

Rosol passed away June 29, 1995, in Philadelphia, as reported in the Inquirer, July 3, 1995. Rosol was laid to rest at Oakland Cemetery.

 
Further Viewing
Cat O’ Five Tails
Cartoons for Victory

 
—Alex Jay

Labels: Ink-Slinger Profiles