Mel Cummin
Mel Cummin | |
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McCall's Magazine paper-dolls | |
Awards | The Edward C. Sweeney Medal (1978) |
Melville Porter Cummin (January 29, 1895 – December 1, 1980), popularly known as Mel Cummin, was a magazine illustrator and a newspaper staff artist; a notable cartoonist in the early decades of American
Biography
Early years
Mel Cummin was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 29, 1895. Of
Graphic artist
Cummin worked as a graphic artist for many decades. At various times he was a staff artist for publications of the
He served as art director for the American Kennel Club "Gazette". The editors of the "Gazette" paid tribute to Cummin in 2005 by revisiting his work, and called him "the master draftsman whose cartoons were such a distinctive part of the GAZETTE during the 1940s and '50s."[6] In fact, Cummin drew for that publication at least as early as 1937.[7]
Cummin drew editorial cartoons for The Middletown News-Signal, an Ohio daily. He worked as an illustrator for the San Francisco Examiner as well as a number of New York newspapers, and also contributed to magazines, including the original Life.
When the renowned
One of the endeavors that brought Cummin popular notice was his recurring
Early comic strips
Later in the decade, Cummin was the first artist for
Around the same time, Cummin began developing a comic strip called Hap Hazzard (alternatively titled Hap McSnap),
Back to nature
Cummin was a well-known artist-naturalist, who produced work for museums (including backgrounds and drawings for exhibits) and their publications,
His willingness to take a public stand in favor of science and the
In the late 1930s, Cummin decided to marry his comic strip experience to his passion for
Golden age
Mel Cummin drew covers, interiors, and he also served as
Later years
Cummin's home studio, which he designed and built himself, was set in four acres of the beautiful wilderness of the Hudson Highlands, in Fort Montgomery, New York. In 1977, he listed his present occupation on a questionnaire as "trying to convince myself that I'm retired," and his avocations as "model-making, dioramas, and designing wooden toys for children."[3]
Melville Porter Cummin died the first day of December 1980,[23] survived by his wife of 65 years, Marion (Van Buskirk) Cummin, and two daughters, Eleanor Claire and Miriam Louise.[3][5]
Cartoonist Herb Roth, assistant and successor to H. T. Webster, was an intimate friend for decades. Roth wrote of Mel Cummin in 1937, "Knowing him as I do, I believe the newspaper that contains his work is fortunate; and far more fortunate are its readers. He is an exceptional man."[24]
Notes
- ^ "United States Social Security Death Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VSFC-CW5 : accessed 22 Feb 2013), Melville Cummin, December 1, 1980; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
- ^ Proceedings of the... Session of New York Yearly Meeting... By Society of Friends, Published 1936, Original from the University of Michigan. Digitized Oct 8, 2007.
- ^ a b c d e The Archives of the Explorers Club Membership Files (Deceased Members) "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-01-05. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) and http://www.explorers.org/ - ^ St. Nicholas by Mary Mapes Dodge. Scribner & Co., 1909, Item notes: v. 36, pt. 2 Original from Princeton University Digitized May 21, 2008 p.667
- ^ a b Friends' Intelligencer. Friends' Intelligencer Association. 1917. pp. 27–.
- ^ AKC Gazette. American Kennel Club, Inc. July 2005.
- ^ The American Kennel Gazette. American Kennel Club. July 1937.
- ISBN 9780810959415. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ Back to Nature, the New Daily Feature for Newspapers that was Created on Popular Demand by Mel Cummin, Copyright, 1937, by Mel Cummin (a self-published prospectus for newspaper staffs), p.5
- ^ "The History of Paper Dolls".
- ^ Masson, Thomas L. 1922. Our American humorists. New York: Moffat, Yard and Company, p.429.
- ISBN 1-55850-539-3.
- ^ Metropolitan Newspaper Service, & Conselman, W. (1927). "Good Time Guy, a new sunrise in the comic world" by William M. Conselman, author of Ella Cinders, writing under the nom de plume of Frank Smiley with drawings by Mel Cummin. New York: Metropolitan Newspaper Service.
- ^ a b c Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928-1999 website - http://www.bailsprojects.com/(S(g4ngwu55g2z4c245gv1xfc55))/whoswho.aspx?mode=AtoZsearch&id=CUMMIN%2c+MEL
- ^ The Naturalists' universal directory By Samuel Edson Cassino, Published by The Cassino Press, 1933, Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized Sep 5, 2007
- ^ Ingersoll, Ernest. Explorers Journal. New York: Explorers Club, 1921.
- ^ The ... annual report of the American Museum of Natural History By American Museum of Natural History- Item notes: v. 67-69 - 1936 - Nature
- ^ EVOLUTION: A Journal of Nature, January, 1938: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/silva/sts/staff/cain/projects/ejn/ejn_issues/ejn4_02.pdf
- ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office (1938). Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. [B] Group 2. Pamphlets, Etc. New Series. pp. 457–.
- ^ Catalogue of Title-entries of Books and Other Articles Entered in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, Under the Copyright Law ... Wherein the Copyright Has Been Completed by the Deposit of Two Copies in the Office. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1938.
- ^ Back to Nature, the New Daily Feature for Newspapers that was Created on Popular Demand by Mel Cummin, Copyright, 1937, by Mel Cummin (a self-published prospectus for newspaper staffs)
- ^ The Who's Who of American Comic Books, p. 37, by Jerry Bails & Hames Ware (Detroit, Mich. : J. Bails, 1973-1976).
- ^ "Family History Search with Historical Records - SuperSearch".
- ^ Back to Nature, the New Daily Feature for Newspapers that was Created on Popular Demand by Mel Cummin, Copyright, 1937, by Mel Cummin (a self-published prospectus for newspaper staffs), p. 27
External links
- [2] - Lambiek Entry
- [3] - Comicstripfan.com Entry
- [4] - A summary of the contents of Cummin's membership file at the Explorers Club: Membership materials of Melville Porter Cummin (1895- ). This file contains several photographs, including photos of Cummin photographing in the wilderness (note: these photographs total nine but are within an envelope labeled “10 pictures”). In addition, there are newspaper clippings including an extensive New York Times obituary. Also within this file are: two examples of a daily newspaper supplement (Back To Nature) that Cummin headed up; and historical postcards, designed by the Melville Cummin Studios.