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The Yellow Kid
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62 posts in this topic

I've been reading about the history of comics and was wondering if anyone had any newspaper clippings of the Yellow Kid. I'd love to see some. Also, how rare are the original newspapers that have the strips, and does the original artwork exist?

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That ends my Yellow Kid collection. I am very proud of my 3 pieces. Paper yellow kid collectibles are very hard to find. You can find Yellow kid buttons everywhere but the paper stuff is insanely rare. I actually damaged the kids foot in the last pic when I tried to center him. Yellow kid paper stuff is at least a hundred years old so the paper is delicate.

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IMHO my Yellow Kid web site has more information than any other source. You can visit it at: www.neponset.com/yellowkid

 

I like the Sunday tear sheets by R. F. Outcault better, but George B. Luks also did his version for about a year for Pulitzer after Hearst first lured Outcault away from Pulitzer, Having one of each would be a nice collection.

 

The last time I checked, there were fewer than ten pieces of original Outcault Yellow Kid Sunday comic art, and about the same number of pieces of presentation art. It is all rare and expensive. After the November 26, 1896, Yellow Kid Sunday was published, Outcault cut the original art into ten pieces to give to friends as presents. I have the piece with the Yellow Kid playing the harp, and with his inscription added, "With Compliments, R. F. Outcault" It is roughly triple the size of the published art and quite impressive.

 

At one time, I owned the only known Yellow Kid page proof, but donated it to Ohio State University, along with a lot of other items, because I wanted to make sure they would be properly cared for and I have the highest regard for their operation.

 

As I always tell people, the Yellow Kid was not the first newspaper comic character, but he was the first one to become a comic superstar and increase subscription numbers as well as market everything from toys to whiskey.

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IMHO my Yellow Kid web site has more information than any other source. You can visit it at: www.neponset.com/yellowkid

 

I like the Sunday tear sheets by R. F. Outcault better, but George B. Luks also did his version for about a year for Pulitzer after Hearst first lured Outcault away from Pulitzer, Having one of each would be a nice collection.

 

The last time I checked, there were fewer than ten pieces of original Outcault Yellow Kid Sunday comic art, and about the same number of pieces of presentation art. It is all rare and expensive. After the November 26, 1896, Yellow Kid Sunday was published, Outcault cut the original art into ten pieces to give to friends as presents. I have the piece with the Yellow Kid playing the harp, and with his inscription added, "With Compliments, R. F. Outcault" It is roughly triple the size of the published art and quite impressive.

 

At one time, I owned the only known Yellow Kid page proof, but donated it to Ohio State University, along with a lot of other items, because I wanted to make sure they would be properly cared for and I have the highest regard for their operation.

 

As I always tell people, the Yellow Kid was not the first newspaper comic character, but he was the first one to become a comic superstar and increase subscription numbers as well as market everything from toys to whiskey.

 

Thank you for all this info. I will definitely check out the website.

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... I have the piece with the Yellow Kid playing the harp, and with his inscription added, "With Compliments, R. F. Outcault" It is roughly triple the size of the published art and quite impressive.

 

Impress us! I wanna see!

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Wow.

 

Is there a pic of the proof anywhere?

 

The last time I checked, there were fewer than ten pieces of original Outcault Yellow Kid Sunday comic art, and about the same number of pieces of presentation art. It is all rare and expensive. After the November 26, 1896, Yellow Kid Sunday was published, Outcault cut the original art into ten pieces to give to friends as presents. I have the piece with the Yellow Kid playing the harp, and with his inscription added, "With Compliments, R. F. Outcault" It is roughly triple the size of the published art and quite impressive.

 

At one time, I owned the only known Yellow Kid page proof, but donated it to Ohio State University, along with a lot of other items, because I wanted to make sure they would be properly cared for and I have the highest regard for their operation.

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Wow.

 

Is there a pic of the proof anywhere?

 

The last time I checked, there were fewer than ten pieces of original Outcault Yellow Kid Sunday comic art, and about the same number of pieces of presentation art. It is all rare and expensive. After the November 26, 1896, Yellow Kid Sunday was published, Outcault cut the original art into ten pieces to give to friends as presents. I have the piece with the Yellow Kid playing the harp, and with his inscription added, "With Compliments, R. F. Outcault" It is roughly triple the size of the published art and quite impressive.

 

At one time, I owned the only known Yellow Kid page proof, but donated it to Ohio State University, along with a lot of other items, because I wanted to make sure they would be properly cared for and I have the highest regard for their operation.

 

Brian Walker showed it as a full-page picture on p.32 of his excellent first volume, "The Comics Before 1945." I will try and post scans of it and the art later today. If anyone can post it before then, I would appreciate it.

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IMHO my Yellow Kid web site has more information than any other source. You can visit it at: www.neponset.com/yellowkid

 

I like the Sunday tear sheets by R. F. Outcault better, but George B. Luks also did his version for about a year for Pulitzer after Hearst first lured Outcault away from Pulitzer, Having one of each would be a nice collection.

 

The last time I checked, there were fewer than ten pieces of original Outcault Yellow Kid Sunday comic art, and about the same number of pieces of presentation art. It is all rare and expensive. After the November 26, 1896, Yellow Kid Sunday was published, Outcault cut the original art into ten pieces to give to friends as presents. I have the piece with the Yellow Kid playing the harp, and with his inscription added, "With Compliments, R. F. Outcault" It is roughly triple the size of the published art and quite impressive.

 

At one time, I owned the only known Yellow Kid page proof, but donated it to Ohio State University, along with a lot of other items, because I wanted to make sure they would be properly cared for and I have the highest regard for their operation.

 

Very generous! (thumbs u

 

O/T I've been reading the catalog of the Watterson exhibition at Ohio State from last year. Would very much like to have seen it.

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Brian Walker showed it as a full-page picture on p.32 of his excellent first volume, "The Comics Before 1945." I will try and post scans of it and the art later today. If anyone can post it before then, I would appreciate it.

 

Thank you. If it's any trouble, please don't worry about it, the book sounds interesting and I'll buy a used copy from amazon.

 

I just read through the historical info on your site with interest. I've gotten interested in 19c periodicals recently and was surprised to read about Outcault in Truth magazine and Electrical World.

 

You mentioned 1888 Centennial Exposition of Ohio Valley. Do you know if there's Outcault work in any publication related to that event? I ask because I've found that these expositions tended to be huge deals in that era (Philadelphia Centennial, Columbian Expo, etc), and finding related publications is sometimes not too difficult.

 

 

 

 

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