This is an image I found while doing some research on the Campbell Soup mascots, the "Campbell Kids," which I talked about in the previous post. The creator of the Campbell Kids was Grace Drayton (1877-1936).
She is considered to be one of the first and most successful American female cartoonist.... In 1900 she created two series for The Philadelphia Press called Bobby Blake and Dolly Drake. From 1905–1909, she was a member of The Plastic Club, an arts organization in Philadelphia....The Plastic Club! (Must go back and study more about that.)
The Campbell Soup Kids and Drayton's other children characters were drawn in a cute cherubic style often with round faces, plump bodies, and rosy cheeks.I'm fascinated by these old cartoons and looking for images. Not all these search terms work, however. Notably "Pussy Pumpkins." ("I Put Pumpkin in my Vagina Because It’s Fall and Why Not.")
In collaboration with her sister, Margaret G. Hays, Drayton published The Adventures of Dolly Drake, Bobby Blake in Storyland, and The Turr’ble Tales of Kaptin Kiddo. Drayton designed the popular Dolly Dingle Paper Dolls which appeared in the women's magazine Pictorial Review. She also created syndicated newspaper comic strips such as Toodles, Pussy Pumpkins, Dolly Dimples, and The Pussycat Princess....
Strange to get randomly drawn into the work of Grace Drayton today after just running into Rose O'Neill (the creator of the Kewpie cartoon character). I'm reading about Drayton today because Frank Bruni was talking about Campbell's Soup ads in the NYT, and I was reading about O'Neill yesterday because "Kewpie" came up as an answer in an old acrostic puzzle I happened to do.
O'Neill (1874-1944) was Drayton's contemporary. I don't know the extent to which female cartoonists were channeled into drawing cute children. (The great Windsor McKay was drawing Little Nemo in the same era, but Little Nemo didn't have the hyper-exaggerated cuteness of Kewpies and Campbell Kids.)
Here's Rose O'Neill:
And here's Grace Dayton:
And here's Little Nemo:
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14 comments:
...and soon you will be drawn into the realm of the Rarebit Fiend.
I love the style of hand-lettering on these (both Dolly Dingle and especially Little Nemo).
And now we have people who insist on using the font Comic Sans.
THAT IS NOT PROGRESS.
I am Laslo.
Also: look at the hair on Little Nemo. Cartoonists used to draw hair with character.
Now we get generic bubble hair.
Look at yesterday's Google Doodle post for an example. (Not picking on the kid who drew it -- she is just mimicking the default style).
You young cartoonists get off my lawn.
I am Laslo.
I must say your posts today sure beat watching (or reading your synopsis of) the LSM Sunday morning talk shows. I'll bet not another commenter would disagree.
the hyper-exaggerated cuteness of Kewpies
I thought those things were fake until my girlfriend showed me a box of 'em from the old county fairs. Naturally they threatened my masculinity, which is why I freaked out about them in that other post.
Laslo Spatula said...
Cartoonists used to draw hair with character.
Dilbert.
"the hair on Little Nemo"
Little Nemo... is known for its fantastically detailed drawings. Comics could get away with that when they had enough real estate in the papers to work with. I read a lament from Walt Kelly that he had to simplify Pogo's detailed swampscapes because newspapers kept making the strips smaller and smaller.
Comics arent made for little kids anymore.
The best comics artists are now working in adult (or at least teenager) oriented comics. The whole early-childhood field, or through the age of 12-13, seems abandoned. Which is one reason why the old stuff is still hot for the younger ages.
I bet there are more reprint Tin Tin and vintage Thomas the Tank Engine books being sold this year than ever.
Fall is a magical time of the year, and I’m really excited that I can experiment with my favorite parts of it! Putting pumpkin in my vagina might sound weird, but don’t judge me. It’s fall and I’m living this season to the fullest!
I was compelled to follow the link (which I'm sure must be gratifying, else why bother?).
Having read the page I must say my mood shifted dramatically from curiosity to lassitude.
The Reductress, who ends her handle with a most literal flourish and calls herself Sam, doesn't quite get reductio ad absurdum.
"I'll bet not another commenter would disagree."
OMG let's bet a hundred million dollars US and I disagree now pay up.
The cartoonists pictured above were strikingly good looking women. Are female cartoonists known for their good looks? Is that why Scott Adams went into the cartoon business?
Fun fact: After a brief conversation with celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, I casually mentioned that my great grandfather, Louis deLisle, was the first executive chef of Campbell's Soup Co. He said, "You shoulda led with THAT!" (We had Dolly Dingle dolls around the house when I was a kid. Mom usta decorate them with outfits to reflect the holidays. Mom owned I tiny number of shares of Campbell's stock, which she dumped in the 70s. Dad worked at the soup factory in downtown Camden as a machinist when I was a kid.) We were a Campbell's household. Their corporate HQ was (still is) one town over from my boyhood hometown, in Camden.
Rose O'Neill was a babe. And rich too. And talented. White Privilege.
Fun fact: After a brief conversation with celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, I casually mentioned that my great grandfather, Louis deLisle, was the first executive chef of Campbell's Soup Co. He said, "You should a led with THAT!" (We had Dolly Dingle around the house when I was a kid. Mom owned I tiny number of shares of Campbell's stock, which she dumped in the 70s. Dad worked at the soup factory in downtown Camden as a machinist when I was a kid.)
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