Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Jay V. Jay, Part 3: Jeannette Kiekintveld
“Modish Mitzi,” the clever fashion strip ... is the work of three New York girls—two fashion writers and an artist. They are Laura Johnson, who is the artist; and Virginia Vincent and Jeannette Kiekintveld who divide the task of gathering information, working out ideas and writing the stories. “Jay V. Jay” is their triple signature.
Jeannette Kiekintveld, ’18, has left the Advertising office of the J. L. Hudson Co., of Detroit, and is Advertising Manager for the D. J. Healy Shops of Detroit.
College of Literature, Science and the Arts 1918 GraduatesJeannette Maud Kiekintveld, A.B. Advertising writer and newspaper writer. In Publicity Dept., McCall Co. 236 W. 37th St., New York, N.Y.
Jeannette Kiekintveld, ’18, is living at 141 West [sic] 44th Street, New York City. She is well known as one of the three creators of “Modish Mitzi,” a newspaper fashion strip.
... Jeannette Moser, who used to be a newspaper woman once herself ... But who is now advertising director of one of Fifth Avenue’s largest stores ...
Q. Please name some women who are prominent in the advertising business.—E.R.M.A. Such a list would include Katherine Fisher, director of Good Housekeeping Institute; Mary Lewis of Best & Company; Bernice Fitzgibbon, Wanamaker’s; Margaret Fishback, R. H. Macy; Hildegarde Dolson, Franklin Simon; Jeanette Moser, Stern’s; Pegeen Fitzgerald, McCreery; Mary Moore, Namm’s; Wilma Libman, Gimbel’s, and Virginia Shook, Lord & Taylor.
Mrs. Moser Gets New PostMrs. Jeanette Moser, advertising manager of Bloomingdale’s for the last six years, has been appointed sales-promotion director of the store, effective Feb. 1. It was announced today by James S. Schoff, president. She will assume her new duties when Ira Hirschmann, a vice president, transfers his activities to the radio and television operations of Federated Department Stores, Inc.
Mrs. Jeannette Moser, advertising manager of Bloomingdale’s for the last six years, has been appointed to the newly created post of sales promotion director. She will assume her new duties on February 1, when Ira Hirschman, a vice-president, transfers his activities to FM radio and television for Federated Department Stores, Inc.
... Bloomingdale’s sales promotion director, gray-eyed Mrs. Jeanette Moser, is known as “a diplomat, a good listener, a wonderful person to carry your troubles to.” Co-workers say the day she took her present job, she propped her officer door open and has not closed it since, except during crises. Mrs. Moeser [sic] is a former Detroit reporter who turned to department store advertising. …
Bustles Barge In snd Out of Style Every 50 YearsI don’t like to say “I told you so,” but—I have before me a column I wrote for the N. Y. World Telegram, August 21, 1933, an interview with Mrs. Jeanette Moser, then and still advertising director of a big N. Y. department store. Mrs. Moser sends me this column which reads: “Maybe we are approaching mid-century madness,” suggests Mrs. Jeanette Moser, seeking to explain why the fashion world, though believing itself in an era of practical people, vertical buildings and simpler styles suddenly finds Itself in the midst of billowing skirts, padded bosoms and rounded hips.“It’s not the Mae West influence; it’s the turn of the half-century,” continued Mrs. Moser. For several centuries, as French and English women approached the 50’s of their century, they draped themselves in hippy hoops and bustles. Our own pre-Civil War belles extended in every direction as far as whalebone could carry them. Other women who minced toward the middle of their century gripped by a wasp waistline and waddling in bell-shaped skirts were Queen Elizabeth, Empress Eugenie and Marquise de Pomadour. Centennially, bulges barge into fashion and barge out again.”Those 14-year-old words might easily be describing today. It’s certainly true that the clothes in style today have little relation to the times in which we live. And the turn-of-the-mid-century theory is borne out by history. We’re nearing the 1950 mark. The century is tiered [sic] of thinking up new styles. Why not pull the old ones out again? There are certain hazards that come with long skirts, but they’re not serious. Not so trifling is the wasp waist. Loyal Wolfe, manager of a national corset firm, says that wasp-waist corseting is detrimental to the health of women and nullifies the progress of the corset industry. A smallish waist, yes. But a waspish waist, one that your husband has to help you lace—no! Who wants to be a waist pincher?
Jeanette Moser has been appointed promotion director of Mandel Brothers, Chicago, it is announced by Col. Leon Mandel, president.From 1939 to 1948 Mrs. Moser was with Bloomingdale’s, New York City, first as advertising manager, later as sales promotion director.
Mrs. Jeanette MoserAdvertising leaderWilcox [sic], Ariz., Oct. 20.—Mrs. Jeanette Moser, 53, for many years a leader in retail advertising circles, died here yesterday. From 1932 to 1939 she was advertising manager of Saks Fifth Ave., in New York City. She then became advertising manager of Bloomingdale’s and from 1946 to 1948 was promotion director of that store.
Mrs. Jeanette MoserMrs. J. Moser, Known in Advertising Field.Mrs. Jeanette Kiekenfeldt [sic] Moser, who was well known in retail advertising circles, died Wednesday in Wilcox [sic], Ariz., at the home of her brother-in-law, Dr. Robert Hicks, according to word received here yesterday.Mrs. Moser was advertising manager of Saks Fifth Avenue from 1932 to 1939, when she took a similar post at Bloomingdale’s, where she was promotion director from 1946 to 1948. For the last year she was sales promotion director and a member of the executive board of Mandel Brothers in Chicago.Mrs. Moser, who was graduated from the University of Michigan, had been a feature writer for The Detroit Free press. Afterward she came to New York to work on the editorial staff of McCall’s magazine and write a syndicated newspaper feature.Surviving are a son, Alan, a student at the University of Kansas, and a brother, Chester Kiekenfeldt of Grand Rapids, Mich.
Labels: Ink-Slinger Profiles
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Jay V. Jay, Part 2: Virginia Vincent
“Modish Mitzi,” the clever fashion strip ... is the work of three New York girls—two fashion writers and an artist. They are Laura Johnson, who is the artist; and Virginia Vincent and Jeannette Kiekintveld who divide the task of gathering information, working out ideas and writing the stories. “Jay V. Jay” is their triple signature.
Biow Agency Increases Staff... Miss Virginia Vincent, formerly with the advertising department of Best Co., and recently with R. H. Macy & Co., has joined the copy department of this agency. ...
... A strange deviation from the usual is the comic fashion cartoon Modish Mitzi, edited by Virginia Vincent. It is one of the few humorous cartoon features in which a woman has achieved success. ...
Dorothy Dix Guest of Honor at TeaEditors, Publishers, News Writers Invited to Hotel Pennsylvania Fete TodayMrs. Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer, who is Dorothy Dix to newspaper readers all over the country, will be the guest of honor this afternoon at a tea given for her by the Ledger Syndicate in the Hotel Pennsylvania at 5 o’clock. ...... On the receiving line will be several of Mrs. Gilmer’s fellow contributors to the syndicate, including Ruth Stuyvesant, fashion writer for the Evening Post and other newspapers. Dr. Jane Leslie Kist, garden expert; Lois Leeds, beauty expert; Nancy Carey, homemaking expert; Vivian Shirley, special news writer; Charlotte Brewster Jordan, authority on correct English; Helen Docie writer on etiquette, and Virginia Vincent, fashion artist. ...
Labels: Ink-Slinger Profiles
Monday, March 25, 2024
Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Jay V. Jay, Part 1: Laura Johnson
“Modish Mitzi,” the clever fashion strip ... is the work of three New York girls—two fashion writers and an artist. They are Laura Johnson, who is the artist; and Virginia Vincent and Jeannette Kiekintveld who divide the task of gathering information, working out ideas and writing the stories. “Jay V. Jay” is their triple signature.
‘Katy’s Kitchen’ Goes Foreign, TooClaire Barcher Ackerman, Salisbury, Conn., has signed a three-year contract with another three-year option with the United Overseas Press Syndicate for foreign distribution of her strip, “Katy’s Kitchen,” under byline of “Country Gourmet.”The art work on the strip is by Laura J. Mitchell, creator of “Modish Mitzi,” a style strip which formerly was syndicated by the George Matthew Adams Service and later by the Ledger Syndicate, Philadelphia, for 15 years. Mrs. Ackerman writes the plot and the selected, tested recipes for unusual American and foreign dishes.
Labels: Ink-Slinger Profiles
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Wish You Were Here, from F.M. Howarth
Another card from the 1906 Hearst hidden picture series of freebies, this one featuring Howarth's characters, Lulu and Leander. Can't help but think that the big reveal would have been slightly more surprising if that banana peel had been part of the hidden portion of the card.
Labels: Wish You Were Here
Saturday, March 23, 2024
One Shot Wonders: Tragedy and Romance of a Venetian Serenade by Herriman, 1901
In the McClure comic section of December 15 1901, George Herriman offers us a bit of slapstick comedy imported all the way from Venice. He also serves to improve my vocabulary, sending me scurrying to the dictionary to find out that a 'caitiff' is a contemptible of cowardly person. Thanks George, I daresay I will find some use for such a juicy term.
Labels: One-Shot Wonders
Friday, March 22, 2024
Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Bill Freyse
Freyse (William Henry)* 5267Movie mad Mazie. © 1 c. Aug. 5, 1933; G 12105.
Freyse, Bill.Unofficial hysterical facts about old Tucson. Distributed by Tucson News Agency. © William Henry Freyse; 4Jan54; A120622.
William Freyse who drew the “Boarding House” cartoon panel for 30 years died Monday at a Tucson hospital following a month-long illness. He was 70.Freyse moved to Tucson in the early 1940s because of his wife’s health. He moved from Cleveland Ohio where he had started drawing the cartoon panel. A native of Detroit Freyse joined the Newspaper Enterprise Association in 1939.He began the “Copper Penny” comic strip which later proved unsuccessful. Freyse took over the “Our Boarding” panel when former artist Bela Zaboly took over the “Popeye” strip in Sept. 1939. Freyse’s last daily “Our Boarding House” panel will appear Mar. 15. The Sunday panel will end April 20.His daughter, Mrs. Lynn Borden of Los Angeles Calif., held the title of Miss Arizona in 1958 and later became an actress and fashion model. She played the wife in the television series “Hazel.” Freyse is survived by his widow, Evelyn, a daughter, Mrs. Lynn Borden, and a son, Stephen.
Branagan continues ‘Our Boarding House’“Our Boarding House” will be continued by artist James P. Branagan, who worked closely with the late William Freyse, who died just two weeks before he was to announce his retirement and turn the cartoon over to Branagan.The dialogue of Major Hoople and other familiar characters of the Boarding House will continue to be written by Tom McCormack. The feature is distributed by Newspaper Enterprise Association.
Labels: Ink-Slinger Profiles
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Toppers: Joe Palooka's Boxing Course
In 1936 Joe Palooka's Sunday formatting took the topper away from the tabloid version, so that only the full broadsheet format still included it. Even then if a paper ran Joe Palooka on their front page, as was quite often the case with the popular feature, a large masthead would knock the topper out. So while most Palooka fans got to read the previous topper, Fisher's History of Boxing, fewer had the chance to learn how to box from the main strip's star in Joe Palooka's Boxing Course.
Which wasn't a terrible loss, because it seemed like Fisher just transcribed a basic text on learning to box, and added a few illustrations of Joe going through the motions. Not too exciting. The course began on June 27 1936 and ran until May 1 1938, almost two full years of learning to float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.
Okay, so the topper's not too exciting, but the sample above is a very interesting one. In case you're not aware, the whole craze for hillbillies in comics, which began in earnest with Li'l Abner, actually had a precursor in Joe Palooka. Big Leviticus and his mammy and pappy starred in a sequence of Joe Palooka in late 1933, and after Li'l Abner became a huge hit Ham Fisher started a feud in which he claimed that Al Capp ripped off his creations. Here above we see an early (the earliest?) public shot fired in that long-running feud; check out the box in panel one of the main strip.
Rather than recount the circumstances of the feud here, I suggest you go read R.C. Harvey's exhaustive discussion of it over at The Comics Journal. It's a long article, but I assure you the bizarre story of Al Capp vs. Ham Fisher is a juicy and fascinating read.
For what it's worth -- very little -- my take on the feud is that it doesn't matter at all who came up with Big Leviticus. If he was such a great character, the equal of Abner, the syndicate would have made Fisher bring him back as a regular, or even given him his own strip. They didn't, and Fisher evidently saw no great future for him, either, until Capp showed the way. The simple fact is that Al Capp, for all his faults, was undeniably a cartooning genius. I have no doubt that he could have taken ANY idea and made a phenomenon out of it. Whether it was hillbillies, prankster kids, barnyard animals, or even grains of sand reciting Proust, Al Capp was destined to make great comic strips out of it. It's a shame that Fisher couldn't see that and wish the man well, rather than trying pathetically to cut him down.
Labels: Topper Features
Find myself reflecting on the idea of cartoonist as celebrity. We've had a few in this age of reduced print influence; was there an era where at least moderate fame attached to artists who weren't at Peanuts or Garfield level?
Monday, March 18, 2024
Obscurity of the Day: Adventures of Aaron
Adventures of Aaron, in my opinion one of the most innovative, well-drawn and just downright funny newspaper features of the 1990s was, sadly, ignored by most in the newspaper world.
In 1991, at the tender age of twenty-one Aaron Warner exhibited art and writing chops well beyond his tender years. He was already freelancing to the Kalamazoo Gazette when he created Adventures of Aaron, a zany absurdist take on autobiographical comics. He shopped the feature around to papers in his home state of Michigan, placing it at the Kalamazoo Gazette and a few additional papers. The new comic was well-received and after getting a few years worth of weekly installments under his belt, the series was picked up by Michigan-based comics publisher Chiasmus. Warner's high energy attitude toward his career got him into several more papers, culminating when he snagged the Detroit News as a client. He even found time to write and produce a stage musical version of the strip, create an interactive website, and produce a CD-ROM and other merchandise
With these successes it was time for Warner to approach syndicates, and it wasn't long before the strip was picked up by Tribune Media Services. Tribune had a pretty well-deserved rep for being a bit of a stick-in-the-mud syndicate, but they were trying to upgrade their image a bit in the 90s, and Adventures of Aaron must have seemed perfect for that. Oh, and of course it sure didn't hurt that Warner came to them with an impressive list of clients already on board.
The syndicated Adventures of Aaron debuted on October 20 1995, and to their credit some of the more forward-thinking papers did sign on, though I understand that only about twenty papers total took the plunge. And what ensued was a low-pitched battle between the young set, who doted on it, and the grannies, who were mortally offended. Adventures of Aaron even won the "Most Hated" vote in a poll by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, beating out even Zippy, which normally walks away with that honour.
In the boxing ring teens beat grannies almost every time, but those roles are definitely reversed in the newspaper world. Once those grannies start writing pettish letters to the editor the hammer is poised to strike. Adventures of Aaron managed to stay afloat, due I think in good part to tireless marketing and gladhanding by Warner, until August 3 1997.
Quality may generally lose the wars, but it does occasional win a battle. Adventures of Aaron got a temporary reprieve from the graveyard of cancelled newspaper strips. The Detroit Free Press asked Warner to continue it just for them. Warner accepted and continued producing the strip for another two years, finally deciding to call it quits to pursue other projects with the installment of August 15 1999.
If you're interested in reading more Adventures of Aaron, there have been a number of comic book reprints; all out of print but not terribly hard to source. The only problem with them is that it is hard to figure out what is reprinted in which comics. It would be great (hint, hint) if Warner would take all his almost decade-long run out of mothballs and publish a complete edition.
Labels: Obscurities
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Wish You Were Here, from Cobb Shinn
Most of Cobb Shinn's postcards don't specify a maker, but this one is from Taylor-Pratt's "Automobile Series", #896. The card was postally used in 1913.
Labels: Wish You Were Here
Saturday, March 16, 2024
One Shot Wonders: Nine Red Jokes by Clarence Rigby, 1898
Clarence Rigby, who made the rounds of many syndicates around the turn of the century, pulls out all the stops with some impressive cartooning on this half-page one-shot, but then doesn't really follow through in the gag department. This seems like a Family Feud game show category -- name nine things that are red, and you'll get a big smooch from Richard Dawson.
This one-shot ran in the New York World on January 30 1898.
Labels: One-Shot Wonders
Friday, March 15, 2024
Ink-Slinger Profiles by Alex Jay: Chester Sullivan
Chester Sullivan Illustrates Educational FeatureChester Sullivan is another young man who following his association with the Federal Schools as an instructor placed a very successful feature, “Men Who Made the World,” with the National Syndicate. This strip is now running in a large number of papers, whose readers keenly appreciate the picture narrative of the “Men Who Made the World.”John F. Dille, President of the National Newspaper Service says of the feature:Human emotions, motives, personality and great deeds lend the spectacular to this great feature. It is brilliantly written by an historical authority—Granville Dickey, and superbly drawn by a great illustrator—Chester Sullivan.
Acutely conscious of certain trends, 1st Lt. Robert North of Alhambra, Calif., decided that something drastic should be done to offset the inroads made in the Pacific by that amiable, sprawling outfit labeled the Short Snorters.He conferred with M.Sgt Norman Hoch, a citizen in good standing of Oklahoma City, and they decided that there was a crying need for some sort of exclusive organization in the South Seas, where all sorts of improbable things happen. The Short Snorters, they opined, was getting pretty loose. It used to be limited to those persons who had flown over a body of water, but now it could happen to anybody, like Athlete’s Foot, or rundown heels.So they founded the Tarawa Cricket Club, and might have run something up a pole to commemorate the occasion, but poles are scarce in that country. Instead, they enlisted the aid of Maj Peter S. Paine of New York City, and Maj Chester M. Sullivan, of Minneapolis, Minn., to help them get under way.In case you've wondered, the name comes from the fact that there are a lot of idle cricket fields laid out on the islands. The English used to play the game there before the war, but have given it up for more strenuous activities.Maj Sullivan designed a stamp, and unless you’ve had some business in the Pacific war you won’t ever get any closer to it than you are right now. That’s how the thing was made exclusive. Stamps are being distributed to other points—there will be a Kwajalein Chapter, Saipan, Guam, perhaps a Truk Chapter, a Philippines, and no doubt a Tokyo Chapter under the parent Tarawa nucleus.The stamps will be held on each island by some responsible officer, probably the S-2, and if you care to join, look him up and he’ll stamp a replica of the informal coat of arms on your stationery, birth certificate, a pair of souvenir panties, or anything else that will take the ink. It costs you a dollar, which is used to buy more stamps for other chapters.It was felt that the club would promote a certain comraderie [sic] among the men, for it is a thing that is really exclusive. No outsiders can join—you absolutely have to be on the island before you can join.You can have a bill stamped and dash around collecting signatures if you like, but the originators look down their noses frostily on the practice.The club is open to everyone from Dogfaces up, and there’s some highpowered company in it. Even generals—especially generals—are potential members, and some belong now. Maj Gen Willis H. Hale belongs, and plugs the club for a commendable venture, according to Lt North.Membership won’t make you any money or when you get back home (wars always HAVE cure very many of the ills man is heir to, but ended) you’ll have something as exclusively South Seas as atoll-fishing.
Labels: Ink-Slinger Profiles
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Obscurity of the Day: It Seems Like Yesterday
Many local strips look a little rough around the edges, but Howard Overback and Ernie Hager produced a very fine looking feature in It Seems Like Yesterday, which they sold to the Oregon Journal. It looked so professional that when I stumbled across a few clipped samples of the feature in an old scrapbook I thought for sure it had to have been syndicated.
Luckily the clips I found betrayed their origin as the Oregon Journal, and it turned out that GenealogyBank, a newspaper archive website I rarely use, had many years of the paper at my disposal. GenealogyBank, by the way, has a user interface much inferior to its sister site, newspapers.com, and its servers are deadly slow. Watching a newspaper page load can make me quite nostalgic for downloading on a 1200 baud modem connection. Unless there's specific material you need that is only on GenealogyBank, and they do have exclusives on a number of major papers like the Oregon Journal, I would suggest giving them a pass.
Anyhow, after many hours of watching dust accumulate on my laptop screen as I researched the short run of It Seems Like Yesterday, I can tell you that the feature began running in the Sunday magazine section on July 28 1940. The creators soon talked the Journal into taking their brainchild on a 6-day per week basis, and the feature became a daily on September 30. Everything went tickety-boo for a year and a half, and then Pearl Harbor inconveniently got bombed. Seeing the writing on the wall for these two 20-something creators, they ended with a farewell panel on March 27 1942. Overback was called up in summer 1942, and Hager probably about the same time. While Overback doesn't seem to have gone back into the stripping business when he got home, Hager did, as another of his obscure strips, Stubby Stout, has been covered here on the blog.
Labels: Obscurities