Denys Wortman - Metropolitan Movies - Depression Era - 1933

This Metropolitan Movies panel, from 1933, is what Wortman's work is all about. Wortman was rarely about the ha-ha gag, or the overly heavy-handed approach. He presented a slice of reality reflecting the time in which it was created. That reality was sometimes tinged with humor, melancholy, or simple honesty. This panel shows a group of children in their tenement apartment, with a girl tending to her baby sibling. She says simply, "Don't cry, baby", which is more than enough. The reality of the scene is pretty hard-hitting, especially with Wortman's Ash Can School style approach with the materials. Just beautiful, sad, masterful work.