Saturday, April 30, 2011

Cartoonist of the Month-Dec. 2010

Robert J. Wildhack (1881-1940)

Cartoonist and illustrator Robert J. Wildhack was born on August 27, 1881, in the central Illinois town of Pekin, but he graduated high school in Indianapolis. That's also where he got his start as an artist (with the Indianapolis Sentinel) and in show business (with a singing group called the Breadbox Quartet). After the turn of the century, Wildhack set off for New York City. Within a decade or so of his arrival, he had become one of the top magazine cover artists and poster artists in America. Wildhack performed in vaudeville and on the Broadway stage. He was also on the radio and in three movies during the 1930s. His career was cut short upon his death, June 19, 1940, in Montrose, California. You can read more about him on my blog, Indiana Illustrators, here.

Text copyright 2011 by Terence Hanley


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