“Cupid & Crinoline”, Thomas Onwhyn 1858
This year for Valentine’s Day, we present the British fold-out comic strip booklet, Cupid & Crinoline. Published on October 20th, 1858, creator Thomas Onwhyn parodies the impediment to romance that the popular women’s fashion known as a “hoop skirt”, or, “Crinoline”, imposed. Click here to find previous Valentine’s Day postings. To complete the story (never [...]
A Valentine’s Joke Book, 1912 & 1852
For this year’s Valentine’s Day, we first have from 1912, A Valentine Joke Book — part of the weekly 1911-1912 Sunday American Joke Book series. These were newspaper supplements, bound as newsprint magazines, inside the Boston American and N.Y. American newspapers. (Other cities might also have done these — I do not know; due to [...]
Gray Parker’s “The Reconstructed Female”, 1883
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, we present my absolute favorite Gray Parker comic. Parker was an upper-class NYC dandy, whose cartoons populated the (New York) Daily Graphic and, later, Life magazine. His comics were nearly always set amongst the aristocratic rich, often marching in step with them, but — when he was at his funniest — taking aim at [...]
The Romance of a Hammock; (or, How Daddy Lost His Head), 1882
Once again we merge our Theatrical Cartoons and Valentine’s Day/Romance series into one post, with the 1882 fold-out booklet, The Romance of a Hammock. This short tale of love-gone-wrong, was recited in comic verse by actor & producer Gus Williams (pictured on the cover in his role of John Mishler, the lead character in the play One of the Finest, by Joseph Bradford). The [...]
The Drummer’s Train Mash
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 [...]
C.M. Coolidge’s “Tale of a Wedded Life”…
For Valentine’s Day, we present this sweet story by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, most popularly known for his great American Masterpiece painting, “Dogs Playing Poker”. Signed “Kash”, this set of ten cards telling a story, sold for $1.00 when it was published in 1877. Enjoy. Doug Wheeler ValentinesDay
A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever…
The following three examples bring our Victorian Age Commercial Romance Ads to an end (for now). But a special sweet (non-advertising) Valentine tale awaits you tomorrow! The below are pages from Part 3 of the 1901 edition of Barker’s Komik Picture Souvenir - a premium cartoon book sent to purchasers of various Barker’s medicinal products for humans and [...]
I Love You for Your Appliances!
Harken back to the Good Old (Old, old, old) Days — the 1870s to 1890s — when America was God-Fearing, and Marriage wasn’t based on cheap values, but rather on the finest products money could buy! First, two examples of heated romance, Free Enterprise-style… Next, this young woman knows how capitalism works, bartering herself [...]
Medicinal Tobacco Cures Love-Sickness & Promotes Marriage!
Another heroic example of Romance saved by a commercial product! This circa 1870s fold-out comic strip giveaway promoting Jackson’s Best chewing tobacco, is suspected to be the work of comic artist Charles Jay Taylor (its art style is similar to his at this point in time). Taylor is best remembered for his later work in Puck Magazine. If not for [...]
Hood’s Sarsaparilla Saves Oscar Wilde’s Life & Romance…
Comic strip ad from 1883, artist unknown. Installment 3 of this week’s commercialization of romance… Doug Wheeler TheatricalCartoons ValentinesDay AdvertisingStrips
