During a recent visit to an antiquarian bookstore, I saw a 1911 illustration annual from the U.S.
Most of the work looked dated to its era and honestly not that interesting. The exceptions were the cartoons. Here are two that I took note of, and a bit about their creators.
The first is by Frederick Burr Opper. He's considered one of the pioneers of comic strips, but he also drew many political cartoons, as shown in this example. Anti-trust themes were recurrant in his work, and according to the Wikipedia page linked, he was one of the first users of the term "fake news."
The second drawing is a very detailed humorous illustration of people crowding an ocean liner's multiple decks. I don't know what it was used for; it ran a year before the Titanic sank.
The illustrator in this case was John T. McCutcheon, a Chicago political cartoonist with a long and storied career.
I don't know what to make of the fact that I've never heard of either of these artists. They were both very prominent in their long careers, and it seems as though I should have. Notoriety is transient, I know, and this reminds me again.
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