Short, Matthew :: Dime Novels

Texas Tom-Cat

Artist: Andrew MacLean (Penciller)

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Beadle's Half Dime Library no. 589

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Artwork Details

Title:	Texas Tom-Cat
Artist:	Andrew MacLean (Penciller)
Media Type:	Marker
Art Type:	Commission
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	153
Likes on CAF:	0 1
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	5/4/2023
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Description

Westerns were by far the most popular dime novel genre when they were first introduced in 1860, especially those that featured anti-heroes like Deadwood Dick and the notorious Jesse James. But by the 1870s, moral crusaders, led by Anthony Comstock, had begun condemning the format, arguing that it glorified violent criminals and led kids into a life of delinquency. Much as comic book publishers responded to Wertham with the Comics Code in the 1950s, many dime novel publishers began enforcing stricter moral standards to avoid the very real threat of imprisonment and bankruptcy. Buffalo Bill, first introduced to readers in 1869, became the model upon which every Western hero was based: a morally upright plainsman who doesn�t smoke, drink, curse, gamble, or step outside the law. While these stories still found an audience and were enormously popular, they were much less interesting than the bandit and outlaw stories that came before them. The decline of the fictional outlaw goes hand in hand with the decline of the Western�s popularity, detective fiction soon becoming the dominant genre.

Enter Texas Tom-Cat, who appeared in four dime novels published by Beadle & Adams between 1888 and 1889. Texas Tom is unwashed and ill-mannered, ungainly, uneducated, and wears a catskin cap on top of his head (and yes, felis domesticus). He affects the behavior of his headwear, becoming known to criminals everywhere by his war cry: �Whoop! Mariar! Mee-ow! Sp�t, sp�t! Mee-ee-ow-ow!� (�The Texas Tom-cat was to them a real living terror; his cat-howls carried consternation to their wicked souls.�) He is often courageous to the point of recklessness, resulting in wanton property damage. He burns down several mines, hideouts, and lairs in his exuberance, which is why so many of these cover illustrations prominently feature fire. But despite his odd appearance and behavior, Texas Tom conforms with the moral standard and is always on the side of justice and the law, despite being generally ridiculous--and, indeed, almost a parody of Buffalo Bill and other Western heroes.

It's difficult to attribute any one dime novel illustration to any one particular artist, because the works are so rarely signed. Beadle & Adams were known to employ several artists, the most popular being George G. White, but others include J. H. Gouter, Henry L. Stephens, Penfield, Arthur Lumley, John R Chapin, and H. Fenn. These draughtsmen were extremely prolific, often illustrating dozens of dime novels for multiple publishers each week. They accomplished this amazing productivity by borrowing liberally from other artists and their past work, tracing from reference files, and often repurposing the same illustrations over and over for different novels, with minor variations. What actually appeared in print, however, was very much a collaboration between illustrator and the engraver, who was responsible for �artistically interpreting� the original illustration in the medium of wood, where most of the detail would be added. This is why, when an illustration is signed, it�s almost always signed by the engraver. The move from wood engravings to zinc etchings at the end of the century lost much of this detail, ending the career of many dime novel artists. They were not able to keep up the same level of productivity.

This 2022 commission of Texas Tom-Cat by Andrew MacLean is based on
Beadle's Half Dime Library no. 589, published November 11, 1888.

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	Matthew Short ( 1 )
Joined:	April 2023
Last Login:	August 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
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