The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-30
NOTED CARTOONIST
AS WORD PAINTER
HOMER DAVENPORT, ARTIST.
DREW BETTER PICTURES THAN
HE DID AUDIENCE.

Those Who Heard Him Were Inn
pressed With His Fresh Western
Humor. and His Wonderful Light
ming Sketches illustrating Each
Story in His Excellent Collection.
MIR. Davenport Is Studying SOcio-
logical Conditions During His
Tour Through the SOuth-Interest-
ed in the Race Question.
Homer Davenport the man who
drew the cartoon that made Hanna
famous" and has been more or less
power in making great men small and,
in some instances, small men great, lee
tured at the Savannah Theater last
night on 1.-THE Power of a Cartoon"
One Republican journal, whose ideals
Mr.. Davenport has shattered on more
than one occasion by his vivid distorta-
tons in the shape of cartoons, sarcas-
tically referred to Mr.. Davenport's il
Illustrated lecture as "a fireside talk"
and said that after he had talked five
minutes they were all calling him Ho-
mer" AS Mr.. Davenport said himself,
at the conclusion of his lecture, the
title of a lecture is often abused. But
there has seldom been a more enjoya
BILE entertainment furnished in Savan-
nah than through the efforts of the IA
nous cartoonist.
The audience that greeted Mr.. Day.
export was small, but it made up in
positively expressed appreciation what
it lacked in numbers. At all times he
had the entire attention of those pres
ent, and he demonstrated beyond ques-
ton that his successes at word painting
are as assured as has been his labors
with the pen.
What Davenport Is Like.
Not that he is a curiosity, but that
everybody is concerned in the personal
appearance of the men who have proven
their greatness in their chosen profess
sion, it is interesting to know just
what manner of chap this man who
has demonstrated the power of the car
toon is.
Homer Davenport was born and
reared on the bleak hills of Oregon.
He attained to six feet in length be-
fore he could decipher his letters. He
now measures about six feet two.
He has all the graces of the Western
cowboy in action, without his I'M
couthness, and wears, easily the pol
ish that long years of metropolitan life
have perfected. He has none of the
mannerisms of a professional wind
TANNER.
He spoke rapidly and clearly stand
ing at the side of the easel support
ing his sketching outfit, with his hands
securely ensconced in his trousers
pocket.
He impressed one at once as a man
who could say damn with emphasis,
and yet there were passages of the
most touching pathos interspersed with
the entertaining stories he told. Each
story was rounded up with a hastily
sketched profile of the principal char
aeter.
All of the notables in public life,
whose every feature has been carl
catured by the artist were wildly pre-
scented again before the audience.
Mr. Davenport's lecture was made
up of a series of short stories touch
ing on incidents of his career as a
cartoonist, and his ,observances of the
effect of cartoons of prominent people.
All the way through there was a vein
of humor that kept the audience in
good spirits, and at the conclusion of
the entertainment a number expressed
their appreciation in person to Mr..
Davenport, and regretted that there
was such a small attendance on such a
delightful event.
His First Trip South.
This is Mr.. Davenport's first trip
South, and he is enjoying his tour huge
ly. Aside from the benefits he accrues
financially from a lecture tour he is
obtaining much information and many
ideas that will be of vast benefit to him
in future in his work
Il have noticed everywhere I have
been through the South" said Mr..
Davenport to a Morning News reporter,
that wherever Hanna and Roosevelt
are held up for choice that Hanna
is invariably selected. 1 suppose this
is due to the color question, in which
Mr.. Roosevelt has ignored the senti-
ments of the South
Il take great delight in discussing
these matters incognito with those with
whom | come in contact around the
hotels and on the trains. I have heard
so much about this color question, and
did not know how really little l did
know about it until 1 came South
Mr. Davenport will leave this morn
ing for Albany, where he will lecture
tonight.