For the month of February, we are continuing our series on Theatrical Cartoons, plus, for Valentine’s Day/Month, adding a focus on those involving Romance.

Above is a five-card fold-out strip, advertising a performance of Sam’l of Posen; or, the Commercial Drummer, a highly successful 1881 play by George H. Jessop. On the reverse side of this fold-out, is stamped “Academy of Music! One Night Only, Tuesday, May 13, 1884.” Most likely (I am guessing here) the travelling theatrical company performing this play distributed this card set in various towns on their tour, stamping the backside with local performance dates and locations, since the production values of this fold-out ad are too expensive for just a one-time use.

Depicted in the five cards is actor Maurice B. Curtis (born Mauritz Strelinger), who played the lead role of Sam’l for much of his career. The story involves a Polish Jew who makes his fortune as a travelling salesman (in the parlance of the time, as a drummer).

Click on the above & below pictures, to open larger versions.

Next is a series of cards used for general advertising (a text ad for a product, service, or store would be printed on the backside of each card). The set is clearly referencing the play, while not explicitly stating its name (i.e., appropriating use of the play’s popularity, without permission). Here, Samuel has been replaced by a non-jewish caucasian — which advertisers of the time apparently felt was a better way to sell their products.

Below — and admittedly having nothing to do with Sam’l of Posen — is It Didn’t Work For a Cent, by cartoonist Frank Beard. This comic strip depicting a drummer attempting to save money by sleeping on an uncomfortable railcar seat, rather than renting a spot in a sleeper car, was first published in Puck magazine. It’s appearance below is from its reprinting in issue 24 of the monthly Puck’s Library, September, 1889.

This same strip then evolved back towards the direction of the two Sam’l of Posen card sets above, through the addition of four new panels by Frank Beard, involving the drummer in a mash (a flirtation/romance) with a female passenger. This expanded version of the strip was commissioned by the Scarritt Furniture Company of St. Louis, Missouri (1839 - 1917), for a fold-out advertising pamphlet during their 50th Anniversary (1889). Scarritt manufactured train car seats, so naturally, the ad shows the drummer leaving the uncomfortable (non-Scarritt) seat, switching to more comfortable Scarritt-made seats, where he and a female passenger he meets, fall asleep next to each other (which we all know — or at least we all knew back in ye Good Olde Days — was certain to lead to marriage!). The date of the Scarritt Furniture Company’s founding (and thus, verification of the publication date of this pamphlet), was provided to me by J. Milton Keller, grandson of the last owner of the Scarritt Furniture Company.

Again, you may click on the above & below pictures to open larger versions.

Immediately below, are the Scarritt ads appearing at the end of the fold-out pamphlet. And beneath that, photos provided to me by J. Milton Keller: Left, Keller’s great-grandfather, Scarritt founder Russell Scarritt; and, Right, final owner of Scarritt Furniture, Keller’s grandfather, Charles Hale Scarritt.

Still later (date unknown, but pre-1917) Scarritt reprinted the story yet again, this time as a stapled booklet, and changing the lead Drummer character to a Tourist, most likely to match the times.

Doug Wheeler

TheatricalCartoons ValentinesDay NYPuck DrummersYarns AdvertisingStrips