Chicagology present a fully illustrated history of Sidney Smith‘s career as a Chicago Tribune cartoonist.
From Old Doc Yak to The Gumps Sidney Smith was arguably the most popular cartoonist in America during the 1920s until his death in 1935. Certainly The Gumps gave Mutt and Jeff a run for the money. Smith was the first cartoonist to sign a million dollar contract.
The death of Mary Gold in 1929 resulted in The Gumps being front page news and an outpouring of reaction.
Sidney Smith – From Goats to Gumps at Chicagology
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While The Gumps had been one of the most popular comic strips, Pogo has been judged one of the best.
It is certainly a favorite here at The Daily Cartoonist.
Two years ago we celebrated the 80th anniversary of the character’s debut in comic books.
Last year we noted that 75 years prior Pogo became a local comic strip in The New York Star.
This year we observe that 75 years ago tomorrow, on May 16, 1949, Walt Kelly‘s possum began a 26 year run as a syndicated comic strip. Below, with the help of Fantagraphics, are the first three syndicated Pogo comic strips.
