FALL INTERIORS, ANTIQUES & FINE ARTS CATALOG
Lot 161: RARE Richard Outcault's THE YELLOW KID Cigar Store Indian Statue
2023-10-28T14:00:00Z
Start price: $1,000
Estimated price: $8,000 - $12,000
Lot 161:
RARE Richard Outcault's THE YELLOW KID Cigar Store Indian Statue
Description
Truly remarkable and undoubtedly the ONLY one! This carved wood highly decorated Indian Cigar and Tobacco statue of the infamous THE YELLOW KID. Exceptional color, execution and display with vibrate choice of colors. Brocker and Boghien in script on front, Cigars one side and Tobacco on the other. Still have th James Julia Auctions tag on it from the estate. Measuring approx 60" tall x 22" wide x 19" deep. Some wood split on headdress and side as shown otherwise great condition as shown. Many have suggested to be carved by Samuel Robb by Richard, although no documentation supplied from the estate. Provenance: Private Nashville TN estate. The American comic artist Richard Felton Outcault was one of the pioneers of the medium. Together with Rodolphe Topffer and Wilhelm Busch, he is widely regarded as one of the key artists in the early history of the comic strip. Famous for two popular series, ‘The Yellow Kid’ (1895-1898) and ‘Buster Brown’ (1902-1921), he regarded by many as the first genuine comic artist. ‘The Yellow Kid’ featured sequential illustrated narratives, complete with speech balloons. It revolved around one recurring character, was published on a daily basis and brought all the hallmarks of our modern-day definition of a comic strip together. Even more important, it was single-handedly responsible for launching the comic industry. ‘The Yellow Kid’ was so popular that people bought a newspaper just to read the "funny pages". Soon every newspaper in the U.S. and across the world had to have their own comic pages. Outcault’s characters were heavily merchandised in an unprecedented way for a comic strip. They appeared on numerous products, including the very first U.S. comic magazine (The Yellow Kid, 1897). Outcault proved that comic artists could be paid for their work and occasionally even make a living out of it. He also experienced downsides of the job: he was one of the first cartoonists to fight over copyright issues, be exploited by his publishers and discover that overexposure can result in audiences growing tired of a comic series. The artist is also significant for creating the first comic to regularly refer to daily news events (‘The Yellow Kid’) and the first to star a black character in the title role (‘Poor Li’l Mose’, 1900-1902). Last but not least, his work inspired two neologisms: "yellow journalism" and the very term "comics" itself. Richard Felton Outcalt (a name he changed to "Outcault" in 1889) was born in 1863 in Lancaster, Ohio as the son of German immigrants. Between 1878 and 1881, he studied at McMicken University School of Design in Cincinnati, Ohio after which he became a commercial painter for the Hall Safe and Lock Company. In 1888, Outcault created mechanical drawings and advertising illustrations for Thomas Alva Edison. The famous inventor had just patented his light bulb and wanted to promote the invention during the Centennial Exposition of the Ohio Valley and Middle Atlantic States in Cincinnati, Ohio. Edison was pleased enough with the results to send Outcault to his company’s official exhibit at the 1889 World Exhibition in Paris (best remembered for the introduction of the Eiffel Tower). As the artist stayed in the French capital, he studied art in the Latin Quarter. Back in the United States, Outcault continued his job at Edison Laboratories. He married banker’s daughter Mary Jane Martin on Christmas Day 1890, after which he moved to Flushing, Queens, New York City. There he created technical illustrations for magazines like the Street Railway Journal and Electrical World for a while.
Condition: Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client, is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Premier Auction Galleries LLC shall have no responsibility for any error or omission. The condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections from the uses. We do our best to offer photos and some insight to the condition. We encourage personal inspection. Shipping should be considered before placing a bid. We do our best to accommodate Domestic shipping within the United States on smaller items. SOLD AS IS WHERE IS. Please do not bid if you are uncertain. All third party shipper are buyers responsiblity and Premier Auction Galleries is not responsible after buyer consent and release to their hired carriers/shippers. All items after 25 days with accumulate a storage fee of $5.00 a day per items, after 90 days the items are considered abandon, unless prior arrangements have been made with Premier.
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