Here’s an example I scanned of Simon Simple from somewhere from 1901 to 1905 by Ed Carey.
Please be advised that like many of the comic strips of the era, it contains offensive racial depictions. If this sort of thing offends you, you may not want to view it.
Click the image to view the full strip.
Read another Simon Simple strip at The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities.
Here’s an example I scanned of a one-shot strip called The Thrilling Rescue of Little Tommy’s Best Hat from June 15, 1902 by Walter McDougall. McDougall was the first syndicated newspaper artist. He drew what has been noted as the first color comic strip in an American newspaper (“The Unfortunate Fate of a Well-Intended Dog”). In 1898 he drew what was likely to be the largest single panel comic drawn for a newspaper, which was spread over two pages.
Click the image to view the full strip.
See some various works by Walt McDougall at Barnacle Press.
Here’s a nice example I scanned of That Family Next Door from 1918 by Kuatt? Knott? Can anyone identify this cartoonist? It’s a pretty polished cartoon, and a funny one, so I would think this is likely to have been done by a known cartoonist. Note the similarity in title and theme to George Herriman’s wonderful The Family Upstairs.
UPDATE: Reader D.D. Degg in the comments let us know that this is by cartoonist Jean Knott, who also did the strips Penny Ante and Eddie’s Friends. Thanks D.D.! See examples of Penny Ante on Barnacle Press here. See an example of Eddie’s Friends on Shorpy here.
Click the image to view the full strip.
Here’s an example I scanned of Texas Slim from 1926 by Ferd Johnson.
Click the image to view the full strip.
Here is the Smilin’ Ed’s Gang story from Buster Brown Comics Book #23 from 1946. “Smilin’ Ed and His Gang Entertain the Army” is the name of the story. They opted to have Squeaks and Midnight talk in the comics. Smilin’ Ed again is Andy’s predecessor who met a sinister and untimely demise. It isn’t surprising… Froggy attempts to murder him multiple times in this story.
There are two other stories in the book as well that I didn’t scan… one is called “The Poachers” and is about an Indian boy named Ghanga and his elephant (seen on the front cover)… the other story, “Black Lagoon,” is about a South Pacific island boy named Suki and his chimpanzee Coco. Boy from exotic land with exotic pet seems to be the recurring theme of choice in these comics (judging from this issue and #27 and 28, which I also have).
What? You mean a comic book with Buster Brown in the title doesn’t feature Buster Brown? Well, actually, it does. In the ads for Buster Brown shoes. These comics were giveaway premiums at shoe stores and department stores that sold Buster Brown Shoes. The store name is printed on the bottom part of the front cover, and all the ads in the comic are for Buster Brown shoes. Usually only his iconic image appears in an issue.
However, in this issue, there is actually a comic strip with Buster Brown! Very likely his last comic strip ever, I suspect (although his last newspaper comic strip can be seen here). And what sort of mischief is the little rapscallion up to, you may wonder? Why, he is pretending to be a shoe salesman! Strangely, his “resolution” appears in the first panel…
“When kids insist on Buster Brown Shoes they get the best fit in town!”
Wait a minute… our scamp isn’t making mischief at all! Tige’s jolly laugh is nowhere to be seen. Buster is just selling shoes! He’s being helpful! What has become of our Buster, our impish rascal of yesteryear?
Wait a minute… the kid in the last panel with the new shoes… his feet are glowing. Why that’s it! Buster hasn’t reformed at all! He has taken to irradiating children’s feet with a shoe-fitting x-ray machine (Note the mention of X-Ray fitting on the front cover below). That smug kid with the new shoes will be keeling over with foot cancer in no time! Ha ha ha! Oh, that Buster.
Download a 27MB pdf of the comic book, minus the boy from exotic land with exotic pet stories, by clicking the below image.
Here’s another great example I scanned of Buster Brown, this one from August 5, 1906 by Richard F. Outcault, with some nice experimentation with panel time and space.
Click the image to view the full strip.
Click here to read more examples of Buster Brown at Barnacle Press.
See the last Buster Brown strip at the Stripper’s Guide.
Click here to read about Richard F. Outcault at lambiek.net.
See a Buster Brown original (with the Yellow Kid) at the Library of Congress website.
Read more about R.F. Outcault at Ohio State University’s website.
See examples of Outcault’s Yellow Kid at Ohio State University’s website.
Click here to read more about Buster Brown at Toonopedia.
Hear a radio program on the history of Buster Brown at npr.org.
Visit the website of the R.F. Outcault Society.
Read the Wikipedia entry on Buster Brown.
Read the Wikipedia entry on R.F. Outcault..
Read the Wikipedia entry on The Yellow Kid.
See the copyright application for the Yellow Kid at the Library of Congress website.
Here’s a great example I scanned of Buster Brown from April 8, 1906 by Richard F. Outcault.
Click the image to view the full strip.
Click here to read more examples of Buster Brown at Barnacle Press.
See the last Buster Brown strip at the Stripper’s Guide.
Click here to read about Richard F. Outcault at lambiek.net.
See a Buster Brown original (with the Yellow Kid) at the Library of Congress website.
Read more about R.F. Outcault at Ohio State University’s website.
See examples of Outcault’s Yellow Kid at Ohio State University’s website.
Click here to read more about Buster Brown at Toonopedia.
Hear a radio program on the history of Buster Brown at npr.org.
Visit the website of the R.F. Outcault Society.
Read the Wikipedia entry on Buster Brown.
Read the Wikipedia entry on R.F. Outcault..
Read the Wikipedia entry on The Yellow Kid.
See the copyright application for the Yellow Kid at the Library of Congress website.
Here’s an example I scanned of Buster Brown from April 21, 1907 by Richard F. Outcault.
Click the image to view the full strip.
Click here to read more examples of Buster Brown at Barnacle Press.
See the last Buster Brown strip at the Stripper’s Guide.
Click here to read about Richard F. Outcault at lambiek.net.
See a Buster Brown original (with the Yellow Kid) at the Library of Congress website.
Read more about R.F. Outcault at Ohio State University’s website.
See examples of Outcault’s Yellow Kid at Ohio State University’s website.
Click here to read more about Buster Brown at Toonopedia.
Hear a radio program on the history of Buster Brown at npr.org.
Visit the website of the R.F. Outcault Society.
Read the Wikipedia entry on Buster Brown.
Read the Wikipedia entry on R.F. Outcault..
Read the Wikipedia entry on The Yellow Kid.
See the copyright application for the Yellow Kid at the Library of Congress website.
Here’s an example I scanned of Buster Brown from 1915 by Richard F. Outcault. No “resolution’ at the end of this one… I’m guessing they may have gotten rid of those at some point, since this is a later strip than the previous examples.
Note that this strip contains the sort of stereotyping that was typical of comics of the era. If that sort of thing offends you, you may not want to view it.
Click the image to view the full strip.
Click here to read more examples of Buster Brown at Barnacle Press.
See the last Buster Brown strip at the Stripper’s Guide.
Click here to read about Richard F. Outcault at lambiek.net.
See a Buster Brown original (with the Yellow Kid) at the Library of Congress website.
Read more about R.F. Outcault at Ohio State University’s website.
See examples of Outcault’s Yellow Kid at Ohio State University’s website.
Click here to read more about Buster Brown at Toonopedia.
Hear a radio program on the history of Buster Brown at npr.org.
Visit the website of the R.F. Outcault Society.
Read the Wikipedia entry on Buster Brown.
Read the Wikipedia entry on R.F. Outcault..
Read the Wikipedia entry on The Yellow Kid.
See the copyright application for the Yellow Kid at the Library of Congress website.
Here’s a particularly hilarious example I scanned of Buster Brown from February 15, 1914 by Richard F. Outcault.
Click the image to view the full strip.
Click here to read more examples of Buster Brown at Barnacle Press.
See the last Buster Brown strip at the Stripper’s Guide.
Click here to read about Richard F. Outcault at lambiek.net.
See a Buster Brown original (with the Yellow Kid) at the Library of Congress website.
Read more about R.F. Outcault at Ohio State University’s website.
See examples of Outcault’s Yellow Kid at Ohio State University’s website.
Click here to read more about Buster Brown at Toonopedia.
Hear a radio program on the history of Buster Brown at npr.org.
Visit the website of the R.F. Outcault Society.
Read the Wikipedia entry on Buster Brown.
Read the Wikipedia entry on R.F. Outcault..
Read the Wikipedia entry on The Yellow Kid.
See the copyright application for the Yellow Kid at the Library of Congress website.
