Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-11-05
ARTISTS OF THE PRESS.
The Clever Men who illustrate the
Daily and Weekly Papers.
NewsdeaIer and Stationer.

papers, nave become quite power IN
the course of the past twenty years.
Before the rebellion they were very
few and iil-paid. Probably they were
paid all they deserved, however. for
their work was not very fine. They
managed to exc out q living, although
there was little taste at that tine for
pictorial fun, and the engraver's art
was only IN its infancy. The ante
bellum funny papers were the Picay
une and Puck, the latter rival and
an imitatOr.
After the rebellion Harper's Weekly
began to present Nast's illy-drawn but
apropos cartoons. with great care in
the engraving. The scheme made 8
stir, and Frank Leslie followed suit
by importing Matt Morgan to furnish
carlcatures for his illustrated paper.
Mast, being better acquainted with the
spirit Of our institutions, had great
advantage over the new. conner, al
though Morgan was by far the better
artist. Since that time there has been
a constant increase in the number of
these funny sketchers, and many Of
them have made regulations that are
worth much money to them.
The cartoOnist OF to day is the means
OF applying the scourge to public Of
tenders. Nast's hits" were many
when he had the field to himself, but
now that he has rivals he is not doing
so we'll
Mr.. Conklin is known by the single
curl on his forehead This was given
MIN by Matt Morgan, who was also
the first 10 make Kim pouter pigeon.
This mahgned curl is made to express
all shades of exalted egotism and
proud hate. Its language is never
mistaken. 1t has thinned and straight
ened somewhat with the years, and
now represented IN way to exagger~
ate the entertainments of time. Keep
pier first sent Mr.. Conkling forth as a
peacock, a form he is still compelleJ
to use occasionally.
Hamilton of the Judge attached the
horse shoe to Cleveland. 1t tells it's
own eloquent story of luck.
Frank Beard Of Puck put the cor
sets on Mr.. Curtis of Harper's-corsets
which he invariably wears over his
coat. The impish idea came from the
prevalent belief that he was goodv-
goodish, and also from the humiliat>
fashion editor of the Bazaar. Quite
frequently they embellish his clothes
with -utf1es, give him snug feminine
CATERS with high heels, and put gilt
braid on. his coat. The caricaturists
even changed his christian name in
their zeal to make him fill the role
they assigned him. They christened
him Nancy" The first time he APP
peared corseted in public was in the
Judge, IN the cartoon entitled "An
independent Movement"
James Gordon Bennett is never per-
mitted to appear without his nose
being decorated with court plaster.
This mark OF individuality was given
MIN by Puck, and dates back to the
alteration between Mr.. Bennett and
Mr.. May several years ago. By this
ingenious stroke of humorous art.
neither the public nor Mr.. Bennett is
permitted to forget that Mr.. Bennett
once came III contact with a horse
whip In full fury.
The genluses of the pencil some
times avenge the politicians by carl
catUrlng each other. For instance,
Hamilton drew Mast as the monkey
that accompanied Curtis hand organ.
nd continued it through the late
campaign. Hamilton is the artist who
represented the democratic ticket as a
kangaroo all tail and no head. Bis
bee, formerly of Puck, now OF the
Judge, has made many hit in his
profession. Beard, Hamilton. and
McCarry are all on the Judge.
Gillian, of Puck, first brought out
RiQIna q 9 a
representing a dime museum with sill
the republican candidates on exhibi>
ton. Somebody afterward asked him
how such an ingenious idea came to
hlm. he Iaughlngly declared It was
an accident. Yet accidents may be
inspirations; indeed, they sometimes
prove so. 1t will be remembered by
me admirers of comic art that Mas!
made great hit during the Greeley
campaign by attaching d small tag to
Greeley's long gray coat, and labelling
1t "B. Gratz Brown" That was an
accident but an inspired one. The
nominations had been announced, the
cartoon was drawn, ali but the face
and figure of Gratz Brown. No pho>
tograph or picture of him could be
found, ard the weekly must go TO
press. Mast oyercame the difficulty
at the last moment by attaching the
tag to Greeley's coat. 1t made hit,
and stuck ali through the campaign.
SO delighted were the people with Mr..
Brown in this form that they wanted
him IN no other. So the tag represent
ed aim all through the contest.
Rogers Of Life is responsible for
converting Whitelaw Reid into a
small but very assertiye dog. with a
Woolly collar ana tail. Mast has prob
ably made more OF these hits" IN
carlcature than any other artist. One
was making Grant lion. Turning
men into ANIMALS and preserving the
likeness is by no means so difficult an
accomplishments as it looks, the artists
say. Every human being suggests
some animal, and it is but the work OF
moment TO exaggarate the sugges
ton, and with the exaggaration carry
tho lil-a,,oec