Saturday, October 14, 2023

 

One Shot Wonders: Pocohontas Up-To-Date by A.B. Canon, 1903

 



We begin our One-Shot Wonder series with an entry by cartoonist A.B. Canon, who has never yet been featured here on Stripper's Guide. And he deserves to be remembered, even though he did very few newspaper series. Because what Canon lacked in polish, he sure made up for in frentic action. This strip is the on-paper equivalent of a Looney Tunes episode. Between the gunplay and the thwarted beheading, Canon actually manages to squeeze in a pretty good gag about Pocohontas saving John Smith mainly for the tobacco plug in his pocket. 

Canon contributed to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Sunday comics section  from 1901-1903. Other than that I know nothing about him. This one-shot was penned in 1902 (see Canon's signature) but did not run in the paper until January 18 1903.

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# posted by Allan Holtz @ 6:00 AM 0 comments
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Friday, October 13, 2023

 

Obscurity of the Day: Abner Simp

 



Long before Tom Little snagged a Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning (1957), or embarked on a long-term collaboration as the artist on the newspaper panel Sunflower Street (1934-50), he tried to find fame and fortune with a daily strip called Abner Simp.

The daily strip debuted on July 23 1923* through the auspices of the New York Tribune syndicate. The star of the show is a hayseed from Mudsink, Tennessee, come to seek his fortune in the big city. He rooms in a boarding house run by Mrs. Whang, with the typical penny-pinching, sharp-tongued qualities that seem to come with the profession. The other roomers are mostly just a blur of standard characters, but the stenographer Lucile stands out as a possible romantic interest for Abner. 

The strip starts out as primarily gag-a-day, with featherweight continuities barely making ripples. However, as the strip gains a little steam Abner gets a taste for speculating in the stock market and eventually lucks into a copper mine stock that goes through the roof, making him a very well-to-do boob. He invests some of his money by paying off the boarding house's mortgage and Abner finds himself on the other side of the landlord-roomer divide. Now his problems are those of a rich man. But it is not long into this new phase of the strip that either Little or the Tribune decided to call it quits. On October 25 1924** the strip ended without so much as a farewell. 

* Source:  Syracuse Herald

** Source: Nashville Tennessean

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# posted by Allan Holtz @ 6:00 AM 4 comments
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I enjoyed those strips. I wouldn't mind seeing more.

What's with "This ain't no fire—it's an earthquake"? Does it hint at the 1906 SF earthquake and fire?
# posted by Anonymous Whygh : 10/13/2023 10:46 AM
 
I think the fireman is referring to Abner's corpulence. Even though he shouldn't be able to see him through all that smoke...
# posted by Blogger Allan Holtz : 10/16/2023 8:56 AM
 
Hello all-
It was a well known conceit of San Franciscans , following the chamber of commerce's lead, to never refer to the cataclysm of 1906 as "The Earthquake", and instead as the "the Fire". This being, that a fire would indicate a man-made disaster, something that could be controlled, and one would assume that as great fires happen in cities, the conditions that led to it are not allowed to happen again.
Earthquakes are unpredictable, uncontrollable and are an alien thing to most Americans, so their possibility might scare away tourism and investment.
So, by the fireman exclaiming that it's not a fire, but an earthquake, it's a humourous inversion of a then well-known take associated with California boosterism, insisting that that was a FIRE, and not, or only insignificantly, a Quake.
# posted by Anonymous Mark Johnson : 10/16/2023 3:42 PM
 
Interesting!
# posted by Blogger Allan Holtz : 10/17/2023 8:15 AM
 
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Wednesday, October 11, 2023

 

Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Munson Paddock


Judge 8/11/1917

Munson Paddock was born in Racine, Wisconsin, on January 22, 1886, according to his World War II draft card. A family tree at Ancestry.com said his middle name was Leroy. His middle name or initial were not used in the census and military records.

In the 1900 United States Census, Paddock was the oldest of four children. His mother, Isabella, was the head of the household. The family resided in Salem, Kenosha County, Wisconsin. His father, Munson, a lawyer, passed away February 8, 1900, four months before the census enumeration. (An obituary was published on page seven of Kenosha’s Telegraph-Courier, February 15, 1900.) The family tree said Paddock’s paternal grandmother was Martha Cecelia Munson who was married to Francis Paddock. According to Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999 Paddock used several pen names including Cecelia Munson and Cecilia Munson. 

Some information about Paddock comes from the Lake Forest College Library Archives and Special Collections which used as its source, Munson Paddock — A Life by Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. 

The 1903 Kenosha city directory listed Paddock as a student residing at 611 Prairie Avenue.

The Telegraph-Courier (Kenosha, Wisconsin), June 25, 1903, reviewed the Kenosha High School annual and said 
... Kenosha artists drew the pictures for the annual and the work of Munson Paddock and Roy Donley in the artistic line is worthy of more than passing mention. The pictures contributed by Paddock to the book are a reminder of the clever work of Gibson while the comic sketches and etchings by Donley are filled with subtle humor. ...

... The annual portion of the book is introduced by a splendid drawing by Munson Paddock which forms the frontispiece. ...



At some point, Paddock moved to Chicago. He participated in the Newspaper Cartoonists’ and Artists’ Association Annual Exhibits of 1905 and 1906 at the Art Institute. Vadeboncoeur said Paddock had a 1906 address at the Chicago Daily News. 

Soon, Paddock relocated to New York City where he drew a handful of comic strips. American Newspaper Comics (2012) said Paddock’s first comic strip was Mr. Bluff which began October 26, 1907. Following it were Wisdom of Wiseheimer, debuting November 9, 1907, and Little Miss Thoughtful, starting February 8, 1908. All were for the New York Evening Telegram. For the New York Herald, Paddock produced Angelic Angelina which first appeared March 22, 1908. (Publishers’ Weekly, January 29, 1910, said Angelina was issued as a publication.) Paddock’s last strip was Naughty Ned, running from April 4 to June 20, 1909, for the North American Syndicate. 

Paddock was a contributor to several periodicals including Sis Hopkin’s Own Book and Magazine of Fun, Judge’s Library and Leslie’s Illustrated Weekly, December 9, 1909. 

The Telegraph-Courier, November 4, 1909, said Paddock visited his mother. 

According to the 1910 census, freelance artist Paddock was in Manhattan, New York City at 466 West 23rd Street. The 1912 and 1913 New York City directories said Paddock was a designer whose residence was at 406 West 44th Street. He was not listed in directories from 1914 to 1917.

Paddock married Marguerite Noble on April 14, 1917 in Manhattan. 


Paddock named her as his nearest relative on his World War I draft card which he signed September 23, 1918. The couple lived in Manhattan at 112 West 11th Street, top apartment. On the occupation line was written: “Commercial Draftsman (Mail Order) Free Lance— 31 Union Sq N.Y.C. N.Y.” Paddock’s description was tall, medium build with blue eyes and dark brown hair. 


R. L. Polk & Co.’s 1918–19 Trow New York Copartnership and Corporation Directory, Boroughs of Manhattan and Bronx had this listing: “Paddoch-Horton Studios (RTN) [Registered Trade Name] (Munson Paddock & Аlbert Horton). 41 Union sq W R1101”. 

Paddock’s address did not change in the 1920 census. He was a freelance commercial artist. 

R. L. Polk & Co.’s 1921 Trow New York Copartnership and Corporation Directory, Boroughs of Manhattan and Bronx said Paddock-Horton Studios were located at 223 West 33rd Street. The New York Evening Post, September 5, 1923, reported the Studios’ new address: “Duross Company leased the top floor of 252 West 14th St. to the Paddock Horton Studios for a term of years…” The partners were involved in a legal matter according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, November 4, 1923: “Munson Paddock and Albert Horton vs. The Wright Company, Inc. Judgment affirmed.” 

The 1930 census listed Paddock, but not his wife, in Manhattan at 320 East 42nd Street. His occupation was freelance advertising artist. 

The New York Times, April 14, 1931, noted the following business lease: “Harry Michaels and Munson Paddock, commercial artists, in 100 West Forty-second Street”.

Who’s Who said Paddock contributed to several comic books beginning in the mid-1930s. He also worked at a few comic art studios. Some of Paddock’s comic book credits and pen names are here. A Mars Mason story is here. According to Who’s Who, some of Paddock’s pen names were used by some publishers as house names. 

Paddock was mistaken as a woman named “Cecilia Paddock Munson” in A Century of Women Cartoonists (1993; see pages 62 and 70) and The Great Women Cartoonists (2001; pages 55 and 63). The mistake was repeated in the Animation Journal, Volume 2, 1993, Art in Motion: Animation Aesthetics (1998) and Comics Through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas (2014). 

The 1940 census recorded unemployed Paddock alone at 301 Lilac Lane in Carlstadt, New Jersey. His highest level of education was the eighth grade. 

On April 25, 1942, Paddock signed his World War II draft card. He resided with Verona, probably a relative. (His younger sister was Ramona.) They lived at 301 Lilac Lane in Carlstadt, New Jersey. Fifty-six year old Paddock was described as six feet, 155 pounds, with blue eyes and gray hair. He was unemployed. 


A Pennsylvania death certificate said Paddock’s wife, Marguerite, passed away February 1, 1949 in Athens, Pennsylvania. The Evening Times (Sayre, Pennsylvania), February 2, 1949, published an obituary. 
Mrs. Paddock, Dies in Athens, Fashion Artist
Mrs. Paddock Dies in Athens, Fashion Artist Mrs. Marguerite Noble Paddock, 62, of 623 South Main Street, Athens died suddenly last night at her home at 8 o’clock following a heart attack.

Well known in art circles, Mrs. Paddock and her husband, Munson Paddock, were engaged in fashion drawing in New York City for several years. She was a Towanda native. 

Mrs. Paddock, a graduate of Cooper Union, the New York School of Art and the Art Students’ league, came to Athens about nine years ago. While in this community, she was interested mostly in portraiture. 

She is survived by her husband, Munson Paddock, a sister, Miss Kate Noble, at home and several cousins.

The funeral will he held at the convenience of the family, and burial will be in Oak Hill cemetery, Towanda.
Paddock has not yet been found in the 1950 census.

Find a Grave said Paddock passed away June 14, 1970. The Daily Item (Sunbury, Pennsylvania), June 16, 1970, noted Paddock’s funeral. 
Funeral services were held this morning for Munson R. [sic] Paddock, 84, of 222 Speece, Sunbury, from the Davis funeral home, Northumberland, with Father John W. Kline, pastor of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Sunbury, in charge. Burial was in Riverview cemetery, Northcumberland. 

(An earlier profile was posted in 2016.) 

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# posted by Alex Jay @ 6:00 AM 1 comments
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The address Munson paddock that for Sunbury is probably SPeece ave.there is no stress street in Sunbury. Also while sorting through some clipped failed from the 70 s I found some Lancelot strips that were retitled Lance. Based on the ads on the back of them I suspect that they were clipped from the Susquehanna valley gazette. A paper that was published three days week and carried the nea strips.
# posted by Blogger Kirk mcgaw : 10/18/2023 10:55 AM
 
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Monday, October 09, 2023

 

Obscurity of the Day: Angelic Angelina

 


It's nice to know that in the world of rotten li'l kid comics, which were staggeringly popular in the 1900s, that there was at least a small feminine contingent in this male-dominated profession. There was the popular Mamma's Angel Child, of course, but other lesser known female brats include today's obscurity, Angelic Angelina. This strip ran in the New York Herald's Sunday comics section from March 22 1908 to February 7 1909*.

Angelina's favourite target was her little brother Bobbie, who was gullible enough to be easily convinced to do all sorts of rotten things that end up getting him spanked, while Angelina engineers herself into the hero of the day. It's all a bit ho-hum of a concept, except for the one detail of the brat being a girl instead of a boy. 

The creator of Angelic Angelina, Munson Paddock, was responsible for other ho-hum comics in the late 1900s, mostly for the New York Telegram. One exception that is much better than his norm is Wisdom of Wiseheimer.  Angelic Angelina was Paddock's only series that ran in the New York Herald. Stay tuned Wednesday as Alex Jay has an Ink-Slinger Profile of Paddock with new and updated information.


* Source: Ken Barker's New York Herald index in StripScene #20.

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Sunday, October 08, 2023

 

Wish You Were Here, from Nate Collier

 

Here's another card from the collection of Mark Johnson, this one by a very young Nate Collier, when he still signed his first name as 'Nathan'. It was published in 1911 by the Hoover-Watson Printing Company of Indianapolis, Indiana.

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