E. Simms Campbell
E. Simms Campbell | |
---|---|
Born | Elmer Simms Campbell January 2, 1906 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
Died | January 27, 1971 White Plains, New York, U.S. | (aged 65)
Nationality | American |
Area(s) | Cartoonist |
Notable works | Cuties |
Elmer Simms Campbell (January 2, 1906 – January 27, 1971)
Early life and education
Campbell was born in
With his mother, he moved to
Professional career
During a job as a railroad dining-car waiter, Campbell sometimes drew caricatures of the train passengers, and one of those, impressed by Campbell's talent, gave him a job in a St. Louis art studio, Triad Studios.[4]
He spent two years at Triad Studios before moving to New York City in 1929. A month afterward, he found work with the small advertising firm, Munig Studios, and began taking classes at the National Academy of Design.[3] During this time, he contributed to various magazines, notably Life, & Judge.[5]
Following the suggestion of cartoonist Russell Patterson to focus on good girl art,[3] Campbell created his "Harem Girls", a series of watercolor cartoons that attracted attention in the first issue of Esquire, debuting in 1933. Campbell's artwork was in almost every issue of Esquire from 1933 to 1958 and he was the creator of its continuing mascot, the cartoon character in a silk top hat.
He also contributed to The Chicagoan, Cosmopolitan, Ebony, The New Yorker, Playboy, Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, Pictorial Review, and Redbook.
His commercial artwork for advertising included illustrations for
Campbell also was the author of a chapter on blues music in the 1939 book Jazzmen, a seminal study of jazz's history and development.
Campbell died in White Plains, New York, in 1971.[1]
Books
His gag panel, Cuties, was syndicated by King Features in more than 145 newspapers, and was later collected in a paperback published by Avon.[1]
"A Night-Club Map of 1930s Harlem"
Of enduring cultural and historical interest is the witty, cartoon-filled map Campbell drew in 1932 – "A Night-Club Map of 1930s Harlem" – identifying the attractions of Harlem during the
Campbell's map appears in the book version of
On April 4, 2017, National Geographic published an article on the map that included the map and several enlarged sections of it.[8] They featured it again during 2020 to subscribers of their newsletter, among a collection of unique maps of New York City.[9]
Recognition
In 1940, Campbell was honored with 1 of the 33 dioramas at the American Negro Exposition in Chicago.[10] In 2020, Campbell was inducted into the Eisner Award Hall of Fame.[11]
References
- ^ a b c Stewart, Bhob (October 10, 2007). "E. Simms Campbell". Potrzebie. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ Jackson, Robert (February 7, 1997). "Elmer Simms Campbell, Cartoonist". Rocky Mountain News. Denver, Colorado. Archived from the original on March 12, 2007.
- ^ a b c d "E. Simms Campbell". Famous Artists & Writers. King Features Syndicate via Lileks.com. 1949. Archived from the original on August 14, 2014.
- ^ "E. Simms Campbell". The Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
- ^ "E. Simms Campbell - Illustration History". www.illustrationhistory.org. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
- ^ Mike Thibault, "A Night-Club Map of 1930s Harlem", February 27, 2009.
- ^ Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection as archivist (1932-01-01), A Nightclub Map Of Harlem E. Simms Campbell, retrieved 2020-02-07
- ^ Miller, Greg, During Prohibition, Harlem Night Clubs Kept the Party Going, National Geographic, April 4, 2017
- ^ The Compass: New York City[dead link], National Geographic, August 8, 2020
- ^ "American Negro Exposition 1863-1940, July 4 to Sept. 2, 1940, Chicago, IL" (PDF). Living History of Illinois. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-03-03.
- ^ 2020 Eisner Award Nominees Archived 2020-02-27 at the Wayback Machine, at Comic-Con.org; retrieved April 13, 2020
External links
- Encyclopædia Britannica's Guide to Black History
- Ariel S. Winter, "E. Simms Campbell", We Too Were Children, Mr. Barrie, October 6, 2010.
- Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art Database
- Missouri Remembers: Artists in Missouri through 1951