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Among Us Mortals

W.E. (William Ely) Hill (1887-1962) was known for his masterful black and white Sunday page, Among Us Mortals, sometimes referred to as the Hill Page. His 1915 drawing for Puck, "My Wife and My Mother-in-law," is perhaps one of the best-known examples of a dual image--it is a drawing that at once depicts a young woman and an old crone, where the young woman's chin serves as the nose of the old woman. The image originally appeared on an 1888 German postcard, but Hill’s interpretation is the one that ended up in the psychology textbooks. Hill also drew the dust jacket art for the first editions of F. Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise (1920) and Flappers and Philosophers (1920). Bohemians and artists, commuters and theatergoers all found themselves captured (and sometimes caricatured) in drawings of W. E. Hill. Hill’s “Among Us Mortals” feature began in 1916, starting out in the New York Tribune. It began syndication by the Chicago Tribune in 1922, and then jointly by the Chicago Tribune-New York Daily News from 1934 until it ended in 1960. Hill was a masterful observer of human beings, and each Sunday page was devoted to a particular slice of observation. Hill’s work got a lot of attention quite rapidly. Franklin P. Adams writes in his preface to Among Us Mortals (1917): "Hill is popular, by which I mean universal, because you think his pictures look like somebody you know, like Eddie, or Marjorie, or Aunt Em. But they don't; they look like you. Or if you prefer, like me. He is popular because he draws the folks everybody knows." The collected volume showcases W. E. Hill's satirical images of modern Americans, including his take on modern art appreciation. There was no one doing pen and ink artwork in the newspapers like Hill. The original artwork, with its delicate hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling, probably to not even translate that well to newsprint. The details spent on the figures and tones is truly amazing, with lots and lots of delicate pen-work. “I learned very early in my career as an artist that if you stick pretty close to the people you see about you, every day you need not draw on your imagination for types,’ said Hill, in an interview. “People, just plain, everyday, commonplace people, alive and in motion fascinate me far more than anything else in the world,” he continued. You can see a sort of observed reality that got everyone’s attention with Hill’s work in these examples. I am a little surprised that I have not found comparisons between Hill and Norman Rockwell. It is tempting to think of them as realists, drawing their subjects from the world. I like the term favored by George Lucas: narrative art. Hill does not act as a photographer. He identifies archetypes, and then caricaturizes them just enough to generalize them. And in doing so, every reader gets a starting point that combines with their lived experience and then, with that connection, the person in the image seems strikingly familiar.

There are 49 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.     37 through 49 shown.

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“The Tearoom Diners” (Among Us Mortals, 10/8/1950) by WE Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	360
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	1/14/2020

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“The Tearoom Diners” (Among Us Mortals, 10/8/1950) by WE Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
360 Views, 2 Comments

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“Dog Owner Blues” (Among Us Mortals, 05/18/1950) by W.E. Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	535
Comments:	1
Added to Site:	1/10/2020

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“Dog Owner Blues” (Among Us Mortals, 05/18/1950) by W.E. Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
535 Views, 1 Comment

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“They’re Engaged!” (Among Us Mortals, 01/29/1950) by W.E. Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	163
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	1/8/2020

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“They’re Engaged!” (Among Us Mortals, 01/29/1950) by W.E. Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
163 Views

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“Monday Breakfast.” (Among Us Mortals, 03/02/1949) by WE Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	364
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	1/6/2020

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“Monday Breakfast.” (Among Us Mortals, 03/02/1949) by WE Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
364 Views

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“Know them By Their Hats.” (Among Us Mortals, 09/17/1944) by W.E. Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	850
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	1/4/2020

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“Know them By Their Hats.” (Among Us Mortals, 09/17/1944) by W.E. Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
850 Views, 2 Comments

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“The Liquor Drought.” (Among Us Mortals, 06/16/1944) by W.E. Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	247
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	11/7/2019

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“The Liquor Drought.” (Among Us Mortals, 06/16/1944) by W.E. Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
247 Views

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“In Bed with a Cold.” (Among Us Mortals, 01/09/1944) by WE Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	416
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	10/30/2019

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“In Bed with a Cold.” (Among Us Mortals, 01/09/1944) by WE Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
416 Views

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“Don’t You Know There’s A War On?” (Among Us Mortals, 11/14/1943) by WE Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	446
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	10/26/2019

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“Don’t You Know There’s A War On?” (Among Us Mortals, 11/14/1943) by WE Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
446 Views

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“Wartime Vacationists” (Among Us Mortals, 08/16/1942) by WE Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	280
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	10/24/2019

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“Wartime Vacationists” (Among Us Mortals, 08/16/1942) by WE Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
280 Views

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“When Old Friends Meet” (Among Us Mortals, 02/28/1943) by WE Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	1297
Comments:	1
Added to Site:	6/24/2019

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“When Old Friends Meet” (Among Us Mortals, 02/28/1943) by WE Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
1297 Views, 1 Comment

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“The Gay Picnickers” (Among Us Mortals, 08/03/1952) by WE Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	1386
Comments:	6
Added to Site:	6/22/2019

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“The Gay Picnickers” (Among Us Mortals, 08/03/1952) by WE Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
1386 Views, 6 Comments

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“Army Induction Center” (Among Us Mortals, 01/28/1942) by WE Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	729
Comments:	1
Added to Site:	6/20/2019

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“Army Induction Center” (Among Us Mortals, 01/28/1942) by WE Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
729 Views, 1 Comment

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“Fashion Show” (Among Us Mortals, 07/30/1950) by W.E. (William Ely) Hill

Art Details

Artist:	WE Hill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Illustration
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	1411
Comments:	1
Added to Site:	5/23/2019

About the Owner

Brian Coppola
Member Since:	March 2009

“Fashion Show” (Among Us Mortals, 07/30/1950) by W.E. (William Ely) Hill
Artist: WE Hill (All)
1411 Views, 1 Comment

There are 49 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.     37 through 49 shown.

About the Owner Brian Coppola Premium Gallery Owner Joined: March 2009 Last Login: September 2025 Country: UNITED STATES On CAF: Premium Member Q&A Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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