1939.09.02 “The Kick-Off” (September 2, 1939) by Jack Patton

“The Kick-Off” (September 2, 1939)
by Jack Patton (1900-1962)
12 x 18 in., ink and crayon on board

Jack Patton was originally from Louisiana. He worked as an editorial cartoonist from the 1910s through the 1930s. In the 1930s, he was a widely read editorial cartoonist for The Dallas Morning News. His last editorial cartoons appeared at the end 1939 and perhaps through the start of 1940. During the 1930s, he also began the newspaper strip 'Restless Age,' which was followed by 'Spence Easley'.

As a child, Patton read a magazine advertisement offering easy lessons in drawing. He signed up for a brief course, and it was enough to whet his appetite for a lifetime of cartooning. Scraping together enough money to get to Chicago, he enrolled in the Academy of Fine Arts. While at the school, he received word that the old Dallas Journal, then the evening publication of The Dallas News, needed an assistant in the art department. Hurrying back to his hometown, Mr. Patton found to his delight that he would work with veteran News cartoonist John Knott. The year was 1918 and two years later his editorial cartoons won a place on page 1 of the Journal. In the early part of his career, Mr. Patton was one of the first men in the business to put out both an editorial cartoon and a comic strip daily. The editorial cartoons had a stinging wit, and the originals were frequently requested by the subjects, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover and John Nance Garner.

The date sticker on the back affirms what you might suspect, this cartoon illustrates a general sense, at the moment it happened, that Hilter was kicking off WWII with the invasion of Poland on September 1 (when this was commissioned).

A reminder here about the events of late August, 1939.

On August 17, Hitler closed the border with Poland.
On August 22, Hitler briefed his commanders about the impending invasion of Poland.
On August 23, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed (a secret agreement between Russia and Germany to divide up Poland).
On August 25, the Louvre was closed, ostensibly for repair, to begin the packaging and relocation of some of the collection.
On August 28, the border between Germany and France was closed.
On August 31, the Soviets ratified the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact… Hitler issued the directive to invade Poland on September 1, and the first-ever Marvel comic (Marvel Comics #1, with an October cover date) was published by the Timely company, featuring the origin of the Human Torch and the first appearance of the Sub-Mariner.

On September 2, this cartoon was published.

Britain and France declared war on Germany the next day.