Indiana Cartoonists Exhibit Opens July 31 in North Manchester
Posted
Staff Report-
NORTH MANCHESTER – From the antics of fat-cat Garfield to the cracker-barrel philosophy of Brown County savant Abe Martin, the many creations of Hoosier cartoonists are highlighted in the Indiana Historical Society’s traveling exhibition. Indiana Cartoons and Cartoonists opens July 31 through Sept. 4 at the Center For History, 122 E. Main St., North Manchester. Thanks to their work on the comic and editorial pages, Indiana artists have entertained and informed millions of newspaper readers across the country. The exhibit explores the amusing goings-on of characters from comic strips like “Chic” Jackson’s “Roger Bean”, which features the lives of a typical Hoosier family, to the editorial musings of Pulitzer Prize-winning artist John T. McCutcheon, who was a fierce opponent of America’s entry into World War II. Drawn from collections of the Indiana Historical Society, Indiana State Library and other institutions throughout the state, the exhibition also examines the life and work of such Indiana cartoonists as “the dean of America’s editorial cartoonists.” Evansville’s Karl Kae Knecht; artist from Crawfordsville area known as the Sugar Crick School at Art; “the first black political cartoonist,” Henry Jackson Lewis, who worked for the Indianapolis Freeman, Abe Martin creator Frank McKinney “Kin” Hubbard; Richmond’s Gaar Williams, who earned a designation as the “James Whitcomb Riley of the pencil”; and Muncie’s Jim Davis, responsible for bringing Garfield to life. America trailed behind Europe in using picture-stories in newspapers, periodicals and books during the 19th century. In the 1860s, however, humor magazines like Puck and Life began using drawings. Political cartoons came of age in the 1870s, popularized by Thomas Nast’s work in exposing the corrupt Tammany political ring in New York City. By the end of the 19th century, the age-old practice of telling stories with pictures underwent a revolution as Sunday “funnies” were born. In1894, Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World successfully used color to print “Down Hogan’s Alley,” generally credited as the first published American comic strip. Richard F. Outcault’s strip featured a young, urban rascal with no hair, large eyes and who wore a bright yellow nightshirt, which led him being named “The Yellow Kid.” As the 20th century began, comic strips became permanent fixtures in American newspapers. Since 1970, the North Manchester Historical Society has been North Manchester’s storyteller, connecting people to the past by collecting, preserving, interpreting and disseminating the town’s history. A not-for-profit membership organization, the North Manchester Historical Society maintains premier archives and artifacts on the history of North Manchester and the Eel River Valley. The North Manchester Historical Society provides support and assistance to the Center For History, a local museum, publishes periodicals, sponsors and provides youth, adult and family programming. Visit the NMHS website at nmanchesterhistory.org
