Singh, Jeff :: Winsor McCay

Dream of the Rarebit Fiend 1907 Winsor McCay

Artist: Winsor McCay (All)

14 Comments - 700 Views - 4 Likes

Dream of the Rarebit Fiend 1907 Winsor McCay Comic Art

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Rarebid Fiend Feb 22, 1905 by Winsor McCay

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Artwork Details

Title:	Dream of the Rarebit Fiend 1907 Winsor McCay
Artist:	Winsor McCay (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	700
Likes on CAF:	4 5
Comments:	14
Added to Site:	6/6/2019
Comic Art Archive:

Description

I am very pleased to add this 112 year old piece to my collection. I have been fortunate to own a nice McCay unpublished piece for a number of years but always wanted to add a Sammy Sneeze of Rarebit Fiend to my collection. This has been a very active goal in the past 2 years and I finally was offered this one that was buried in a collection for years. It comes to me in excellent condition on art board that looks closer to 40 years old rather than over 100. The line work is beautiful and delicate as is my experience with other works by McCay. I have had chances in the past to add a few but always passed as sometimes the content can be a little dull or confusing. This one was fun and quite animated and I like the theme of frustration with technology which is as relevant today as it was over a century ago. When it rains, it pours. Soon after purchasing this strip, another Rarebit Fiend I had been hoping to procure became available and so I will be adding a second one to my collection in a few months time.

The reoccurring theme in this series is the wild dreams people have after having ingested rarebit(innocuous Welsh dish with cheese, toast and ale) and it always end with the dream spiraling out of control only for them to wake up and swear off ever eating rarebit again. The dreams were often quite dark and in contrast to those he would later give to Little Nemo. The strips were not meant to be humerus but to reveal the dark side and insecurities of the upper middle class and acted as social commentary. The feature started in 1904 and ran until 1911 and appeared as frequently as 3-4 times per week. From 1911-1913 it reappeared with slightly different titles and there was a revival of the strip in 1923-25 by McCay with help from his son. Little Nemo's first appeared in this strip in 1905 before going on to have his own strip.

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About the Owner

	Jeff Singh ( 7 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	November 2004
Last Login:	September 2025
Website:	http://www.art4comics.com
Country:	CANADA
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Jeff's Classifieds Jeff's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF Read More About JeffSingh

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Comments on this Artwork

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Comic Art Channel
Member Since 2018

1 - Posted on 6/6/2019

Wow! Congratulations, Jeff.

Thomas Ward
Member Since 2004

1 - Posted on 6/6/2019

Major congrats on obtaining this Jeff, what a wonderful piece!

CIRO SCOGNAMIGLIO
Member Since 2009

1 - Posted on 6/6/2019

Museum piece! A dream for me!

Duke Fleed aka #1 Groo Fan
Member Since 2013

1 - Posted on 6/6/2019

Huge Congrats! Love the ink work.

Rob Pistella
Member Since 2005
Forum Moderator

1 - Posted on 6/6/2019

Sublime and timeless art Jeff, wonderful pick up!!!

Bill J
Member Since 2009

1 - Posted on 6/6/2019

McCay is awesome! Great piece!

Ruben DaCollector
Member Since 2008

1 - Posted on 6/6/2019

It may pour when it rains, but I don't know if your next one will top this one. The bit with technology, which evokes very recent memories of myself as I try to navigate through many company's automated phone message prompts systems, is absolutely as current today as it was back then, even moreso! Every subsequent panel had my grin growing larger and larger as I waited for him to smash the %!$@ out of the phone! Congrats on finally landing one!

Monty B
Member Since 2006

Posted on 6/6/2019

Really a wonderful Rarebit Fiend...congrats Jeff!!!

Jeff Gorrell
Member Since 2017

1 - Posted on 6/6/2019

Wonderful!

Ben Friedman
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 6/6/2019

So awesome. Crazy McCay goodness.

frank x townsondecker
Member Since 2006

1 - Posted on 6/7/2019

Excellent!!!

DC's Showcase
Member Since 2006

Posted on 6/8/2019

Fantastic example, Jeff!

Ron S
Member Since 2007

1 - Posted on 6/9/2019

Wonderful example!

Deene Kingston
Member Since 2023

1 - Posted on 1/8/2023

A lovely example of McCay. Looking at this it just seems almost 'inevitable' that he should have invented animation. His sense of motion was just so good.

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	--J S-- 9/6/2025 1:16:00 AM
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