Robert Carter (1873-1918) was a nationally-known, Chicago-born cartoonist who drew for the Progressive Globe, The New York Sun, the New York American, as well as the Philadelphia Press. At the time of Carter’s untimely passing at the age of 44, he was working for the Philadelphia Press. A number of obituaries at the time spoke of Carter’s idealism and patriotism, noting that his strength lay in both the strong concepts and technical virtuosity found in his work. The Philadelphia Press wrote that Carter was steadfastly against the war at the time of his passing, but if he had been in better health, would have surely signed up to fight. I’ve seen very few originals by Robert Carter over the years, and that may be due largely to his passing at such a young age. I’ve not been able to track down where and when this original was published, but I can tell you that the pen work is simply gorgeous. I try and scan all of the originals that I offer, but this one is HUGE, measuring in at 28½”x 21½”. The camera captured the details, but the paper color is closer to a buttermilk off-white than what you see in the image. The piece is titled “Little Old New York!” and pictures Uncle Sam holding a little Dutch girl who represents New York. The text at the bottom reads, “New York to all of the world: glad to see you all. I’m young, wait until I grow up, and I’ll show you.” The piece is from circa 1915, likely before he worked at the Philadelphia paper, and given its age, the artwork is in solid Fine+ condition. Because of the size of the drawing, shipping will be more expensive. $350.00 + 25.00 Priority shipping. SOLD!
