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Wayback Weekend: Etta Hulme

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D. D. Degg Published: March 21, 2026 Updated: March 21, 2026 1 minute 0 comments

When I think of Texas women from the past Etta Hulme is one of three that immediately come to mind (Molly Ivins and Ann Richards are the other two). She was brought to mind by a recent article about an abandoned dwelling that has wall paintings by two Texas women: Evelyn Raetzch Davis and Etta Hulme.

From Rob D’Amico at The Big Bend Sentinel:

[A]dorning the still-intact walls are giant, whimsical painted scenes, murals of sorts, from the Far West Texas past.

The lively scenes were painted long ago by Evelyn Raetzch Davis, a kin to families who play deep in the origins of Marfa, along with a companion—Etta Hulme, the first woman to gain the ranks of nationally syndicated political cartoonists in the 1970s.

Only one of the paintings is signed and dated—a bucktoothed rabbit cowboy on a goofy looking horse—marked “POX” and “Sept. 1950.” Hulme used POX as a signature at times, so it’s clearly her creation.

1950 would date the drawing after Etta’s return to Texas following her years at Disney Studios and while she was drawing a few issues of the Red Rabbit comic book and before Etta Grace Parks would marry Vernon Hulme.

In 1955 Etta would work for The Texas Observer before putting her career on hold to raise a family.

In 1971 with the first-born kids old enough to at least babysit the younger ones Etta began a long career with the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (1971-2008).