Floyd Gottfredson - Contract Extension - Signed Roy Disney - 1931

I just love Floyd Gottfredson's artwork, so this piece was kind of a must-have for me, although it's not exactly art... Heritage's description is somewhat misleading, as this was not the first extension of his general employment contract with Disney, but rather the first extension of his contract for his work on the Mickey Mouse Daily strip...


Heritage auction description:
Typewritten Letter to Floyd Gottfredson on Disney Letterhead Signed by Roy O. Disney with Envelope (Walt Disney, 1931). This letter, dated March 19, 1931, and issued on classic "Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoons" black and orange letterhead stationery with the 2719 Hyperion, Hollywood address, was a notice to employee Floyd Gottfredson that Walt Disney Productions would "exercise the option upon your exclusive services for an additional period of one year, commencing on the completion of the term provided by the contract of employment hereto entered into between you and Walt Disney Productions Ltd., dated June 2, 1930." This was the first renewal of the employment contract of Floyd Gottfredson (1905 - 1986), who stayed his entire career with Disney. He joined WDP at age 24 in the animation department. The Mickey Mouse newspaper strip debuted on January 13, 1930, and was first drawn by Ub Iwerks, then Win Smith. In May 1930, the comic strip was assigned by Walt Disney to Mr. Gottfredson as a temporary fill-in artist until a new full-time artist could be found. However, Floyd later recounted that "after two months, I began to worry that they might actually find someone because I was enjoying doing it and wanted to continue with it. Nothing more was said about it, and I continued to draw the Mickey daily strip for about 45 years until my retirement on October 1, 1975." Roy O. Disney, Walt's brother and business partner, hand-signed the letter as "Secretary-Treasurer/Producer."