SMITTY
ORIGINAL ART COMIC STRIP ART BY WALTER BERNDT
DATED JULY 2 1941
OFF-WHITE PAPER HIGH-GRADE Chicago Tribune Syndicate
A SCARCE Artifact of American History The story line here contains a thinly-veiled reference to peyote, as in "...the doped stew..." which Chief Wahoo describes as "...magic medicine..." FROM DON MARKSTEIN'S EXCELLENT WEB SITE TOONAPEDIA … Mutt & Jeff) had recently failed, and he was back on the pavement, making the rounds of editors. Walter Hoban's Jerry on the Job, about a young office boy, was being syndicated successfully by King Features, and he figured he not only could do that — he'd been that. His first exposure to the professional cartooning world had been just that sort of work at The New York Journal, where he'd gotten what he later called a million bucks worth of experience, rubbing elbows with the likes of Winsor McCay (Little Nemo in Slumberland), E.C. Segar (Thimble Theatre) and Thomas A. "Tad" Dorgan (Judge Rummy's Court).
He sold Bill the Office Boy to The New York World,
but didn't last long there, due to what might euphemistically be called
"creative differences" with his boss. But the same strip, presented to
Captain Joseph Patterson, editor of The Chicago Tribune (which published and syndicated The Gumps, Winnie Winkle and other well-known strips) became a success — once Patterson had changed its name to the more succinct Smitty,
which he'd gotten by flipping through a phone book. The daily strip was
launched on November 27, 1922, and the Sunday version followed on
February 25, 1923.
Smitty's full name was Augustus Smith. He was 13 years old
when the strip began, cheerful and energetic. He worked as an office
boy for a Mr. Bailey, whose exact sort of business wasn't important.
Mr. Bailey had a stenographer named Ginnie, whom Smitty liked to tease.
At home, there were Ma and Pa, and 4-year-old Herby. Smitty's whole
world was full of love and geniality, which was probably a large factor
in the strip's popularity.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SMITTY'S CREATION GO TO http://www.toonopedia.com/smitty.htm
PRIME PERIOD PIECE
FANTASTIC EYE APPEAL
SHARP CORNERS
Can send a larger scans, just ask!
Zero Restoration
NO PINHOLES; NO TAPE
OFF-WHITE VERY SUPPLE PAPER
CHECK OUT HOW CLEAN THIS ARTIFACT IS FROM THE SCANS,
MEASURES 23 WIDE BY 7 INCHES TALL
a true high grade gem PHONE (402) 727-4071 10 AM-7 PM ALMOST DAILY IF YOU LIKE THE TYPE OF STUFF YOU SEE AT OUR SITE,
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