Williams, Gaar

From Wikipedia:

Gaar B. Williams (December 12, 1880- June 15, 1935) was an important American cartoonist who worked for the Indianapolis News and the Chicago Tribune. His scenes of horse-and-buggy days in small towns of the Victorian era included situations taken from memories of his childhood in his hometown of Richmond, Indiana. Labeled the "Hoosier Cartoonist" or the "James Whitcomb Riley of the Pencil", his cartoon panels captured the flavor of a bygone era to the degree they were deemed worthy of reprinting in the mid-20th century years after his death.

He drew his first cartoons for publication while he was the staff artist for the Richmond High School magazine, Argus. After studies at Cincinnati Art Academy and the Chicago Art Institute, Williams began cartooning for the Chicago Daily News in 1904, where he stayed for three years. He joined the Indianapolis News in 1909. In Indianapolis,where he had a growing reputation as a designer of book plates, he married Magdalena Engelbert. His well-known drawings include The End of A Perfect Day, depicting the American doughboy returning from WWI, and Long Boy, published on the William Herschell song sheet.

After illustrating "Keeping Up with William" (Bobbs-Merrill, 1918) by Irving Bacheller, he illustrated Ring Lardner's The Young Immigrants (Bobbs-Merrill, 1920). In 1921, Williams moved to the Chicago Tribune, where he stayed for the next 14 years, until his death.

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Rob here:

I've known of Gaar Williams' work for many years, and consider him to be one of the truly great pen men of the 1910s and 1920s. He had a juicy, active pen line, filled with an energy reminiscent of Edward Sorel's illustration work. Williams had a photographic memory, and used only a copy of the Sear's catalog for reference. Williams' work was reprinted often after his untimely death in 1935. A true great.

ADDENDUM (Jan. 4, 2024): For anyone interested, I've just put together an intensive blog post about Gaar Williams on my Inkslingers Blog

There are 21 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.     1 through 18 shown.

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This Room is Ordered By The Owner's Preference.

There are 21 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.     1 through 18 shown.

Next »

This Room is Ordered By The Owner's Preference.