CARTOONISTS: Church, Young and Freyse

AutographsFrederick S. Church and Cartoon Illustrators

FREDERICK S. CHURCH, American Artist and Illustrator, & CARTOONISTS.
Lot of 4 cartoonists, including Frederick S. Church, Chic Young (“Blondie”), MIK (“Ferd’nand”), and Bill Freyse (“Our Boarding House”), all Choice Extremely Fine.
1. & 2. Autograph Letter/Cartoon, unsigned, and Addressed Envelope Cover, both in black ink on heavy woven paper, tipped to a larger sheet, January 8, 1913, New York City, 8” x 11.25”, Choice Extremely Fine. Includes mailing leaf with stamp and cancellation. Church writes to Doctor Dudley Tenney, above a cartoon: “‘Doc’ Golf is published by Clifford L. Turner 48 West 27th St. In the middle of the letter is a rough, black ink drawing of a man in a barber’s chair being shaved by a barber who appears to be wearing an apron. The man appears to be in pain. Handwritten caption below reads: “Sweeny Todd the Ruffian Barber?” Church (1842-1924) was known for giving animals human characteristics. Small ink smears in cartoon lettering.
3. Original, 6” x 18”, four-panel daily comic strip from “Blondie”, Drawn and Signed “Chic Young” in black ink in the second panel, along with the date, 6-16. The first panel has printed 1963 copyright by “King Features Syndicate, Inc., World rights reserved.” “Blondie” was created by Chic Young in 1930. In this strip Dagwood is carving a chicken and Blondie reminds him that she has promised the drumsticks to the two children; Dagwood laments: “Why couldn’t the chicken have been a four-legged animal?” Slight toning from wax covering to portions of the drawings, fold between middle panels.
4. Original four-panel daily comic strip from “Ferd’nand”, Drawn, Signed Twice and Inscribed “To: Ken, with best wishes! MIK.” The 4.8” x 16.4” comic shows “Ferd’nand” as a surgeon who asks his nurse to follow him to a cafeteria, where she hands him a knife and fork like she would if she were in an operating room--only now he’s sitting down to a plate of chicken that he wants to carve up. Copyrighted 1964, United Features Syndicate, Inc. Fold between middle panels.
5. Original daily panel comic from “Our Boarding House”, Signed and Inscribed “...with best wishes Bill Freyse.” Drawn in blue pencil on poster board 12.75” x 11.5”, and filled in with black ink; fold along the middle of the panel. In the left margin there is a October 10, 1963 date and an October 10, 1963 stamp by NEA, Inc. at the bottom. The panel shows three men talking about one of them buying a box at a warehouse sale for $6.50 and does not know its contents. He wants each man to put up $2 for a third interest before the box is opened so they can share “...what’s in it! Might be 50 gross of ballet skirts for lamb chops or something valuable!...” (5 items)