Christmas Presents!

 UNWRAPPING SOME CHRISTMAS SURPRISES

by Rick Marschall

It is not surprising that cartoonists would send Christmas cards, nor that they would, in the spirit of holiday cheer (not to mention proudly sharing their best efforts to friends and fans), draw special designs... and expend extra effort to impress. 'Tis the Season!

What will be surprises, in a few Yesterday's Papers posts, are treasures not widely known. We will share vintage cards by prominent cartoonists and illustrators -- scarce because they were not produced a la Hallmark, for the general public, but for family and friends, as we say, but occasionally for selected fans.

 

This is a card drawn by Krazy Kat's kreator, George Herriman, not to the Hal Roach family, but possibly for them. The stout fellow in the double-breasted suit is the legendary producer himself; he embraces his son Hal Junior; his wife Marguerite; and daughter Margaret. Herriman did not sign the drawing... except as a self-caricature, lower right, where he labelled himself "the Squatter." For years Herriman maintained a studio on the Hal Roach movie lot in Culver City, Los Angeles, making the location the true "fun factory."

An accomplished painter and illustrator, J Allen St John is best remembered for his painted covers, chapter headings, and illustrations for the Tarzan books of Edgar Rice Burroughs. This family Christmas card was drawn seven years after that famous collaboration commenced.

This card is thought to be an advertisement for Flit insecticide, which was a client of Theodor Geisel (Dr Seuss) for many years. He produced hundreds of cartoon ads for the corporation. This was, however, produced as a separate card and I suspect was Ted's personal card, mentioning Flit as a major aspect of his professional work, even after the success of And To Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street, his first "children's books" for all ages of readers. "Better Times" refers to hopes against the Great Depression.

Harrison Cady is best known for his cartoon animals, so this messenger of holiday cheer is appropriate in the card he sent to  friends. Cady was a social cartoonist for Life Magazine in the 'teens; drew hundreds of illustrations for the "Mother West Wind" children's tales of Thortnon W Burgess; and drew the Peter Rabbit Sunday page that appeared in many newspapers and comic books. 

If you have a strange urge to eat breakfast cereal when you see this card, it might be because Vernon Grant was the creator of the little imps Snap, Crackle, and Pop, who were the advertising mascots of the Rice Crispies cereal. A wonderful stylist, those ads and cereal-box art is what he best remembered for; but through the years he designed many magazine covers and illustrated storybooks for children.