The Osceola times., 1880-09-18
PUCk'S FUNNY MEN.
Origin Of the Popular Comic weekly
sketches Of the Artists and Writers.
Philadelphia Mirror.


About 1875 there was in the emplo,
OF Frank Leslie draughtsman named
Joseph keppler,a German, earning 4
salary wholly disproportionate to hi,
talents. There was also a man named
schwartzman, a printer, and likewise a
German. The two men were friends,
and they conceived the idea together OF
establishing a comic periodical in the
German language. The idea was good
one. Mr.. keppler would draw the car.
toons and Mr.. Schwartzman would man.
age the business and supervise the
printing. Each had plenty of talent.
and together they had little canital.
Together they started. The character
OF the work was what Americans would
call broad. The pictures were striking,
and the letter press was furnished
by three German writers not much
known to the world of f1rtune. The
Germans are sensible, matter-of-fact
people, and they did not deride the en-
| terprlse as Americans would have done.
They encouraged it, and gave it a
iair trial. 1t grew amid difficulties.
But 1t gradually began to get a
foothold, and to bore ts way into the
notice of the public. The draughtsman
from Leslie's filled in his time with
other artistic work, and his partner
made job printing business contribute
| a grateful measure of support. They
plodded ahead slowly, but every few
weeks keppler would present a most
powerful cartoon, till people began to say
what pity such work is done for a
German paper Why can't we have
something like it in English?" And
still Mr.. Schwartzman kept modestly
pushing the paper forward, working ac
lively all the time. In January, 1877,
the German paper was prosperous in
slitution, paying good profit, and Keep
pier and Schwartzman determined to is
sue another edition--one printed in the
English language. The cartoons would
be identical, but the letter press would
be entirely different Quiet preparations
were made for that event. A staff of
four writer's were engaged-their average
age was twenty-five or twenty-three-
and on March 4, 1879, volume |. number
|, Of the English edition OF Puck was is
sued. 1t was a success from the very
start. Kepplers cartoons were positive
ly inimitablc. With the regularity of
trip hammer they struck the fancy OF
the public. and the sale grew and grew.
The German edition maintained for
long time its ascendancy but about a
year ago the English Puck surpassed it.
At the present time the circulation
of the German il IA 500, of the English
80 900. Ii sold for cents copy, and
unsold numbers are not taken back by
the publishers. 1t is payInga big profit.
The two iourneymen Germans have
solved the problem which baislcd the
American press. They have established
and maintained a comic journal similar
to Punch in England. The American
press has accorded to Puck a welcome
which could not have been more kind
and considerate if none but Massachu.
setts and Kentucky men were engaged
therein or employed thereon.
Joseph Keppler is man in the very
prime of lite. lie has black hair in pro.
fusion, heavy black mustache, n square,
handsome. open face and full eyes like
woman. He wears a slouch hat, dresses
always in black, carries sometimes a
portfolio, and is always thinking-gen-
orally of something pleasant The ideas
displayed in his cartoons are sometimes
his own and sometimes suggested. lie
draws crayOn on stone, elaborates the
minuest details, and aims always to make
the likeness striking and correct. The
artistic qualities of his work are breadth
and completeness. | have never seen
really bad likeness proceed from his
crayon, or any of his cartoons which
did not have at least few Of the
elements of popular attraction. Mr.. Keep
pier is a South German, and born, be-
lieve, in the vicinity of Vienna. lie has
been in this country some years.
Schwartzman is a very small man OF
easy carriage and Torid features. He has
a very high forehead, expansive and re-
treating. His hair is loan color. He
dresses in blue is quick talker, CON
servative in business, ana great friend
of his partner. Mr., Keppler is densely
ignorant of business. but it is his areor
and talent which has made Puck.
The other artists on the paper are
Wales and Opper. Wales is an Ameri-
can, formerly at Frank Leslie's, and a
good draughtsman. His ideas are not
generally striking, and his execution of
faces is an execution of all likencsses as
we'll Opper is an aspirant German who
has done some good work of late, He
does not seem to be quite sure of his
public vet, nor do his cartoons offend
any one. but in time his diflidence will
pass away.
The editor is Henry c. Bunner, a
Young man of about twenty-five. He
looks for all the world like literateur
of leisure. His personal appearance
suggests, in every phase, the gentleman.
He wears eyeglasses, dresses in faul,-
lessly- fitting black garments, and moves
briskly in thousand. He is nephew
OF Henry |. Tuckerman, now deceased,
but formerly United States Minister to
Greece. His style Of writing is sharp,
quick, incisivc and tritle STACEY. He
is an active and tireless worker, pro-
digious reader of newspapers, books,
magazines, plays mot IN manuscript
and articles for Puck. His contributions
to that paper comprise about five pages
n week. Bunner is a writer OF vast
deal of promise in his particular line.
He has conducted the editorial depart
ment OF Puck for about two years with
out even getting the paper intoa quarrel
or a lawsuit. without evoking the ire of
contemporary. or uproar OF any kind;
Personally he is quiet, emphatic and
sincere; inclined 10 be retiring, and a
marvel among newspaper men Tor his
scr,lpul nus exactness.
Mr.. b. b. Valentine, his conferer, Is an
Englishman, short in statue, but re-
vealing in intelligence, black whiskers,
small, regular features, and an express
sion OF conntcnance which, beng closely
studied means that he is pleased with
everybody and dissatisfied with every
thing. lie is a rather spasmooio writer
possessed of u quality Of humor entirely