Stolzer, Rob :: Attwood, F.G.

F.G. Attwood - 1887 LIFE Magazine Cartoon

Artist: F.G. Attwood (All)

787 Views - 1 Comment - 3 Likes

F.G. Attwood - 1887 LIFE Magazine Cartoon Comic Art

Click Image to View Full Size

Additional Images:

F.G. Attwood - 1887 LIFE Magazine Cartoon - Print

F.G. Attwood - Detail

Next Item:
F.G. Attwood - Dreyfus Affair Illustration - Cosmopolitan Magazine - 1898

Artwork Details

Title:	F.G. Attwood - 1887 LIFE Magazine Cartoon
Artist:	F.G. Attwood (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	787
Likes on CAF:	3 4
Comments:	1
Added to Site:	2/26/2019
Comic Art Archive:

Description

This wonderful F.G. Attwood cartoon was marked as being from the February 16, 1891 issue of LIFE magazine, but it turns out that it was actually published in the February 24, 1887 issue. The drawing features vignettes of topical scenes of the day. You can see in the printed version (additional images) that text was included, giving context to the imagery.

Attwood's line work was quite wonderful, with a distinctive Punch feel in his figures and characters. Attwood drew monthly calendar pieces for LIFE, from the 1880s until his death in 1900. This is the only original artwork I've seen from that series.

Additional information from historian Rick Marschall:

"The two figures, upper left, are Sen John J Ingalls of Kansas (a "jingo" eager to declare war at every turn) and Sen George Edmunds of Vermont (I believe) who was always involved in maritime matters. In 1887 there was a great internation dispute -- Canada was harassing American boats. Canada claimed more fishery boundaries than most nations claimed (not only fishing but transporting fish) and an international commission was arranged. Britain, of course, was also involved.

The middle-left drawing refers to the publicity surrounding dry-goods millionaire John Wanamaker of Philadelphia, having just (1887) purchased the famous painting "Christ Before Pilate," a masterpiece of the Academic School. Its dimensions were something like 14 x 21 feet. Mih�ly Munk�csy's painting was one of three scenes of Christ's Passion that he painted, and Wanamaker, a famously religious figure (who would also serve as Harrison's Postmaster General in 1889) displayed the painting in his iconic department store on Market Street. In the past couple of decades it was sold and returned to Munk�csy's native Hungary.

The vignette at bottom refers to labor strife, which had come to a head in the US the previous year -- strikes; founding (or ascendancy) of the Knights of Labor; socialist agitation.

So without finding the issue, this is clearly from 1887."

Social/Sharing

About the Owner

	Rob Stolzer Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	September 2004
Last Login:	January 2026
Ebay Id:	robart
Website:	https://freeassociationfunnies.com/
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Rob's Classifieds Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF Read More About RobStolzer

Contact the Owner

Use can use a contact form to send an email to this gallery owner,
but, you must be logged in to use this feature.

Comments on this Artwork

You must be logged in to make comments.

Jeff Gorrell
Member Since 2017

Posted on 2/27/2019

Rob, this is wonderful. Thanks for posting it and giving your explanation.

All
	paul skidmore 1/24/2026 7:43:00 AM
	Dean Juliette 1/24/2026 7:22:00 AM
	R Berman 1/24/2026 7:18:00 AM
	Patrick Le Cerf 1/24/2026 7:15:00 AM
	ENRIQUE ALONSO 1/24/2026 7:13:00 AM
View All


	Marzio Frei 1/24/2026 7:12:00 AM
	Andy Brown 1/24/2026 6:35:00 AM
	Travis Ellisor 1/24/2026 6:22:00 AM
	Greg McKee 1/24/2026 4:26:00 AM
	Brad Potts 1/24/2026 3:08:00 AM