page_title: Seattle Cartoonists' Club
section_title: Vanity books
hierarchical_section_title: Seattle Cartoonists' Club / Vanity books
caption_attribution_description: English: Caricature of Seattle businessman George F. Meacham from the 1906 book Cartoons and Caricatures of Seattle Citizens.
context_page_description: The Seattle Cartoonists' Club was an association in Seattle, Washington, of editorial cartoonists and caricaturists in the early 20th century. Working for different papers and companies associated with publishing, the men got together to produce joint works. The men were important for their role in documenting Seattle's culture and for their editorializing. Their books were works that blend the serious with the nonsensical.
context_section_description: They produced a genre of books called vanity cartoon books, books that were subscribed to by businessmen in their community, where everybody bought a copy to pay for the book's creation. The books featured caricatures and illustrations of the men, stylized in the editorial cartoon style of the day. They tended to show attitudes of the men and things that they were known for. The vanity books served two functions. They lent a sense of prestige to the businessmen who paid for them; caricatures were viewed as recognition in their community that they were elite. They were also good advertising.
  In 1906, four members participated in creating Cartoons and Caricatures of Seattle Citizens. The book was followed by two more in 1911, The Cartoon: A Reference Book of Seattle's Successful Men  (by 11 members) and 12th Session of the Washington State Legislature (4 members participated).
caption: "The World is Mine To Sell"
    George F. Meacham by Edwin F. Brotze, from the 1906 book Cartoons and Caricatures of Seattle Citizens, illustrated by Seattle cartoonists, including four who later billed themselves as part of the Seattle Cartoonists' Club.
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