Gluyas Williams big-hearted minimalist comic was firmly in the tradition of McCutcheon, Briggs, and Webster's situation comedies. They appeared in the newspapers about 1924 as near as I can figure out under a variety of titles, Suburban Heights, Snapshots &c. Williams was gentle on the funnybone. This type of humour depended on the reader's identification with common situations. "Just like grandpa," "Baby does just that !" "Little Tommy's in the comics today."
Gluyas (pronounced Glue-yas) Williams was born in San Francisco in 1888, worked on the Harvard Lampoon, studied in Paris, drew for the Boston Journal and Boston Transcript, and was art director for the Youth's Companion (a treasure trove of illustrative art) until 1920. He contributed cartoons to the old Life, the New Yorker and many of Robert Benchley's books. Kenneth Bird, "Fougasse," had the best description of Gluyas Williams ; he was "a superb noticer."
Gluyas Galleries are Here Here and Here.
I love Gluyas Williams! I can't recall whether Benchley introduced me to Williams' work or Williams to Benchley's. They are inseparable in my mind.
ReplyDeleteTHanks for posting these panels!