George Herriman

This article is about the American cartoonist. For the English businessman, seeGeorge Harriman.

George Joseph Herriman III(August 22, 1880 – April 25, 1944) was an American cartoonist best known for the comic stripKrazy Kat(1913–1944). More influential than popular,Krazy Kathad an appreciative audience among those in the arts.Gilbert Seldes' article "The Krazy Kat Who Walks by Himself" was the earliest example of a critic from the high arts giving serious attention to a comic strip.The Comics Journalplaced the strip first on its list of the greatest comics of the 20th century. Herriman's work has been a primary influence on cartoonists such asElzie C. Segar,Will Eisner,Charles M. Schulz,Robert Crumb,Art Spiegelman,Bill Watterson,andChris Ware.

George Herriman
Self-portrait, 1922
Born	George Joseph Herriman (1880-08-22)August 22, 1880 New Orleans,Louisiana, US
Died	April 25, 1944(1944-04-25)(aged 63) Los Angeles, California, US
Area(s)	Cartoonist
Notable works	Krazy Kat(1913–1944)
Spouse(s)	Mabel Lillian Bridge ​ ​ (m.1902; died 1931)​
Children	2
Signature

Herriman was born inNew Orleans,Louisiana, tomixed-race Creoleparents, and grew up in Los Angeles. After he graduated from high school in 1897, he worked in the newspaper industry as an illustrator and engraver. He moved on to cartooning and comic strips—a medium then in its infancy—and drew a variety of strips until he introduced his most famous character, Krazy Kat, in his stripThe Dingbat Familyin 1910. AKrazy Katdaily strip began in 1913, and from 1916 the strip also appeared on Sundays. It was noted for its poetic, dialect-heavy dialogue; its fantastic, shifting backgrounds; and its bold, experimental page layouts.

In the strip's main motif and dynamic, Ignatz Mouse pelted Krazy with bricks, which the naïve,androgynousKat interpreted as symbols of love. As the strip progressed, a love triangle developed between Krazy, Ignatz, and Offisa Pupp. Pupp made it his mission to prevent Ignatz from throwing bricks at Krazy, or to jail him for having done so, but his efforts were perpetually impeded because Krazy wished to be struck by Ignatz's bricks.

Herriman lived most of his life in Los Angeles, but made frequent trips to the Navajo deserts in the Southwestern United States. He was drawn to the landscapes ofMonument Valleyand theEnchanted Mesa,and madeCoconino Countythe location of hisKrazy Katstrips. His artwork made much use ofNavajoand Mexican themes and motifs against shifting desert backgrounds. He was a prolific cartoonist who produced a large number of strips and illustratedDon Marquis's books of poetry aboutArchy and Mehitabel,an alley cat and a cockroach. Newspaper magnateWilliam Randolph Hearstwas a proponent of Herriman and gave him a lifetime contract withKing Features Syndicate,which guaranteed Herriman a comfortable living and an outlet for his work despite its lack of popularity.

Biography

1880–1900: Early life

The Herrimans attended St. Augustine Catholic Church inTreméinNew Orleans.

George Joseph Herriman was born at 348 Villere StreetinNew Orleanson August 22, 1880.He was born into amixed-racefamily and came from a line of French-speaking LouisianaCreole mulattoeswho were consideredfree people of color,and were reportedly active in the earlyabolitionist movement.His paternal great-grandfather, Stephen Herriman, was a white New Yorker who had children with Justine Olivier,a free woman of color, and owned a tailor shop onRoyal Streetin New Orleans.His paternal grandmother was born inHavana,Cuba.His parents were George Herriman, Jr. (1850–1923),born in New Orleans, and Clara Morel Herriman (1857–1911),born inIberville.The family attendedSt. Augustine Catholic Churchin New Orleans'Treméneighborhood.

When he was ten, Herriman and his family moved toLos Angeles,where he grew up south of downtown nearMain StreetandWashington Boulevard.His father worked there as a tailor. Herriman attended the Catholic boys' school St. Vincent's College (nowLoyola High School).Soon after graduating in 1897, he sold a sketch of the Hotel Petrolia inSanta Paulato theLos Angeles Herald.This landed him a $2-per-week job there as an assistant in the engraving department, where he occasionally did drawings for advertisements andpolitical cartoons.

1900–1905: Early career in New York

Herriman's earliest published works were humor and editorial cartoons. (September 7, 1906)

When he was 20, Herriman clandestinely boarded afreight trainbound forNew York City,hoping his chances as an artist would be better there. He was unsuccessful at first, and survived by working as abarkerand billboard painter atConey Island,until one of the leadinghumor magazinesof the day,Judge,accepted some of his cartoons. Between June 15 and October 26, 1901, eleven of his cartoons appeared in that magazine's pages, in the heavilycrosshatchedstyle of the day. He often used sequential images in his cartoons, as in the emerging comic strip medium. On September 29 that year, his first real comic strips were published, one in thePulitzerchain of newspapers on a non-contractual, one-shot basis and another on a continuing basis in the Philadelphia North American Syndicate's first comic strip supplement. His first color comic strips appeared in theT. C. McClure Syndicatebeginning October 20.

His success with these syndicated strips convinced Herriman to give up on magazine submissions.For the Pulitzer papers on February 16, 1902, he began his first strip that had a continuing character,Musical Mose.The strip featured anAfrican-Americanmusician who impersonated other ethnicities, only to suffer the consequences when discovered by his audience.Professor Otto and his Auto,about a terrifyingly dangerous driver, followed in March, andAcrobatic Archie,a "kid strip" with a child protagonist, first appeared in April.With his future as a cartoonist seemingly assured, Herriman traveled back to Los Angeles to marry his childhood sweetheart and returned with her to New York.

In the November 1902 issue of the literary magazineThe Bookman,Herriman wrote of his profession self-deprecatingly, while poet La Touche Hancock, in an article in that issue titled "The American Comic and Caricature Art",wrote, "Art and poetry is the characteristic of George Herriman. Were his drawings not so well known one would think he had mistaken his vocation."Herriman's work was increasing in popularity, and he occasionally had front-page, full-color strips for the Pulitzer supplements, such asTwo Jolly Jackiesabout two unemployed sailors, which began in January 1903.He began drawing the cowboy stripLariat Petein September for the McClure syndicate afterTwo Jolly Jackieswas ended.

The comic stripMajor Ozone's Fresh Air Crusade(1904–1906) was an early success for Herriman. (April 21, 1906)

In June, Herriman was employed by theNew York World.There, he illustratedRoy McCardell's commentaries on local events, beginning June 28 and running to the year's end. Herriman still produced syndicate work, such asMajor Ozone's Fresh Air Crusadefor theWorld Color Printing Companybeginning January 2, 1904. Another of Herriman's obsessive characters, the Major traveled the world in an unsuccessful search for the purest air and spouted poetic dialogue.Major Ozonewas so popular that it soon was given the supplement's front page.The same month, Herriman moved from theWorldto theNew York Daily News,where he was given a larger quantity and variety of work, including cartoon reporting on sports and politics.In February and March, he had a short-lived continuing character comic strip about domestic life calledHome Sweet Home.That spring, he began illustrating a series of articles written by Walter Murphy calledBubblespikers.

Rudolph Block hired Herriman for theHearstpapers with "a salary commensurate with his talents", starting April 22 at theNew York American,which ran no daily comic strips at the time.Herriman drew sports cartoons in an office alongsideFrederick Burr Opper,James Swinnerton,andTad Dorgan,who was popularly known as "Tad" and was considered a star at another Hearst paper, theNew York Evening Journal.Tad and Herriman were often assigned to cover the same sporting events and became close friends. In 1924, Tad called Herriman "one of the best sporting artists in the world" and regretted that Herriman no longer did that kind of work.Herriman continued with Hearst until June 1905, when he left the paper,possibly because of the new sports editor's unsympathetic attitude to cartoonists.He returned to Los Angelesin the latter half of 1905.

1905–1910: Return to California

Daniel and Pansy,Herriman's first all-animal strip (December 4, 1909)

In California, Herriman continued to mail in work to theWorld Color Printing Company.He revivedMajor Ozoneand producedGrandma's Girl—Likewise Bud Smith,which he combined from two earlier strips, and a two-tiered children's strip,Rosy Posy—Mama's Girl.He began to work with theLos Angeles Timeson January 8, 1906, before returning to Hearst that summer.Accompanying a front-page illustration in Hearst'sLos Angeles Examiner,Herriman was announced as "theExaminer's cartoonist "on August 21. His artwork began to appear on nearly every page, resulting in greatly increased sales for the newspaper.In October, he stopped working for World Color.

Following the success ofBud Fisher's daily stripA. Mutt,which debuted in late 1907, Herriman began a similarly sports-themed daily strip starting December 10 calledMr. Proones the Plunger.The strip was not as successful as Fisher's, and it ceased to appear after December 26.

Mary's Home from College,a precursor to the popular "girl strips" such asCliff Sterrett'sPolly and Her Palsand John Held Jr.'sMerely Margie,ran from February 19, 1909 until January 4, 1910.His next comic strip,Baron Mooch,starring the titular freeloader, debuted in theExamineron October 12, 1909.Herriman began two more strips in November 1909 with the World Color Printing Company—Alexander the CatandDaniel and Pansy,which both appeared in color.Daniel and Pansywas Herriman's first strip to feature an all-animal cast.This was followed in theExamineron December 23 byGooseberry Sprig,about an aristocratic, cigar-smoking duck who had previously and popularly appeared in Herriman's sports cartoons.The bird-populated fantasy was a precursor toKrazy Kat,and many of its characters reappeared in the later strip.

1910–1922: New York again, andKrazy Kat

Krazy Katdaily strip — Krazy Kat kisses a sleeping Ignatz Mouse, who then dreams of cupids. (December 24, 1917)

In 1910, the sports editor of theNew York Evening Journalcalled Herriman back to New York to cover for Tad Dorgan who was in San Francisco covering the"Fight of the Century"betweenJack JohnsonandJim Jeffries.Six days after arriving in New York, Herriman beganThe Dingbat Family,starring E. Pluribus Dingbat and his family.Herriman used typed lettering on the strip on July 26, 1910, but quickly went back to hand-lettering.On August 10, 1910, Herriman retitled the stripThe Family Upstairs.The original title returned after the strip of November 15, 1911, when the Dingbats' building was demolished to make room for a department store and they and their upstairs nemeses parted paths.

Critics do not regard the strip highly, but it provided the vehicle for a fruitful situation: in the July 26 episode, a mouse threw a brick at the family cat—called "Kat" —which hit the cat on the head.The antics of this mouse and "Kat" continued to appear in the bottom portion ofThe Dingbat Family.Herriman said he did this "to fill up the waste space".About a month after its first appearance, the "Kat" crept up on the sleeping mouse and kissed it loudly. The mouse awoke saying, "I dreamed an angel kissed me", while the "Kat" crept away and said, "Sweet thing".

The cartoon staff at theNew York Evening Journal(January 3, 1911)
Top, from left:Gus Mager,Charles Wellington, Herriman
Bottom, from left:Harry Hershfield,Ike Anderson,Tad Dorgan

The gender of "Kat" was unclear from the start. Herriman experimented with a decision about the character's gender, but it remained ambiguous and he would refer to "Kat" as "he" or "she" as he saw fit. Herriman incorporated unusual details into the mini-strip's backgrounds such ascacti,pagodas,fanciful vegetation, or anything else that struck his fancy; this became a signature of the laterKrazy Katstrip. The cast grew and soon included the mainstay character Bull Pupp and characters from theGooseberry Spriggstrip.The strip's characters, relations and situations grew organically during its lifetime, encouraged by Herriman's colleagues.

The cat-and-mouse substrip was gaining in popularity; instead of filling up space in the bottom ofThe Dingbat Family's panels, it began to occupy a tier of panels of its own.In July 1912, while Herriman had the Dingbats on vacation, Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse took over the strip, which was retitledKrazy Kat and I. Mousefor the duration.On October 28, 1913,Krazy Katdebuted as an independent strip on the daily comics page.

Only Hearst's personal support allowed the strip to continue, as the reception from the readers showed zero interest or enthusiasm according to comics historianBill Blackbeard.But it was liked by famous artists and writers such asWillem de Kooning,PicassoandEdwin Denby,and later byE. E. Cummings,Jack KerouacandUmberto Eco.

During the first few years of publication,Krazy Kat's humor changed from slapstick to a morevaudevilliankind. The shifting backgrounds became increasingly bizarre, presaging things to come. The strip expanded to a full-page black-and-whiteSunday stripon April 23, 1916.Herriman made full use of his imagination and used the whole page in the strip's layout.The strips were unlike anything else on the comics page; spontaneous, formally daring, yet impeccably composed.

Herriman visitedMonument ValleyinArizonaand similar places inNew Mexicoand southernUtah,and incorporated the distinct forms of the desert landscape into his strips. TheEnchanted Mesaof New Mexico first appeared inKrazy Katin the summer of 1916. Herriman may have visited after reading an article byTheodore Rooseveltin 1913, but he may have gone earlier—the desertCoconino County,Arizona, that became the backdrop toKrazy Katwas first mentioned in a 1911The Dingbat Familystrip,though the real Coconino County was located further southwest than Herriman's fanciful version.

Herriman was enamored with the impressive rock formations atMonument Valleyin Arizona.

The Dingbat Familyfinished in 1916 and was replaced byBaron Bean's debut the next day. The strip's title character, The Baron, was an impoverished English nobleman, a tramp inspired byCharles DickensandCharlie Chaplin.He and his valet Grimes would plot ways to get by. Herriman later introduced the main characters' wives, and after a run as a domestic strip, with occasional appearances of characters from Krazy Kat's world, it ended in January 1919. It was replaced the next day byNow Listen Mabel,which was about a young man courting a young woman; he would be caught in a compromising situation, which he would try to explain away with "Now listen Mabel..." The strip lasted until that December.

It happens that in America irony and fantasy are practised in the major arts by only one or two men, producing high-class trash; and Mr Herriman, working in a despised medium, without an atom of pretentiousness, is day after day producing something essentially fine. It is the result of a naive sensibility rather like that of the douanier Rousseau [Henri Rousseau]; it does not lack intelligence, because it is a thought-out, a constructed piece of work.

--Gilbert SeldesinThe Seven Lively Arts(1924)

Krazy Katgained an appreciative audience in the world of the arts. The character debuted in film in 1916. The first animated films starring a cat were produced by Hearst'sInternational Film Service,though without Herriman's direct involvement.In 1922,Adolph Bolmchoreographed a jazz-pantomimeKrazy Katballet written byJohn Alden Carpenter.It was first performed in New York in 1922 byBallet Intime,and Herriman illustrated the libretto and designed the costumes and scenario. While it was not a great success, the criticsDeems Taylor,Stark Youngand Henrietta Straus wrote favorably about it.The strip itself was the subject of an article by literary criticGilbert Seldescalled "Golla, Golla the Comic Strip's Art", which appeared in the May 1922 issue ofVanity Fair.Seldes expanded this article as part of his book on the popular arts,The Seven Lively Arts(1924), in which Seldes argued against conservative tendencies that excluded artists in the popular arts, such as Herriman and Chaplin, from being considered alongside traditional artists.Krazy Katwas the subject of a chapter entitled "The Krazy Kat That Walks by Himself", which is the most famous piece of writing about the stripand the earliest example of a critic from the world of high art giving legitimacy to the comic strip medium.Vanity Fairinducted Herriman into its Hall of Fame in the April 1923 issue.

1922–1944: California again, later career and death

Hearst, an admirer ofKrazy Kat,had given Herriman a lifetime contract with his companyKing Features Syndicate,which gave Herriman the security to live anywhere he wanted. In 1922, he moved back to Hollywood,into a two-story Spanish-style home at 1617 North Sierra Bonita,from where he made frequent visits to the Arizona desert.Herriman developed ties with members of the film industry; he knewHal RoachStudio membersTom McNamaraand"Beanie" Walkerfrom their newspaper days. Walker, Herriman's best friend, was the head writer on theOur Gangshorts. In the early 1920s, Herriman occasionally drew his strips at the Roach Studio. He met celebrities, includingWill RogersandFrank Capra,and presented them with hand-colored drawings.He loved Charlie Chaplin's films, and reviewedThe Gold Rushin the magazineMotion Picture Classicsin October 1925.

Stumble Innran from 1922 until 1925 (December 23, 1922).

Autumn 1922 saw the first daily installment ofStumble Inn,the first non-Krazy Katstrip Herriman had drawn since 1919. A verbose strip whose Sundays were often overrun with prose, its lead characters were Uriah and Ida Stumble, who rented rooms to an assortment of strange characters. The daily strip was short-lived, but the Sundays edition lasted three years.

From August 1925 until September 1929, King Features required that Herriman design theKrazy KatSundays so that they could be run either as a full Sunday page or as two four-panel dailies. Herriman lamented intrusion on his page designs, and the artwork of the period took on a rushed look. He was made to focus on the strip's characterization, and during this period, the Krazy—Ignatz—Offisa Pupp love triangle for which the strip is remembered became fully developed. Pupp pined for Krazy, Krazy loved Ignatz, and Ignatz hated Krazy and pelted the annoying "Kat" with a brick, and Pupp imprisoned Ignatz.

Throughout the late 1920s, Herriman made frequent trips toKayenta, Arizona,inNavajocountry about 25 miles (40 km) from Monument Valley.He also made winter trips to Mexico. The desert, Navajo artwork, and Mexican pottery and architecture became more prominent in Herriman's strips, and he sometimes used Spanish vocabulary in the dialogue. Herriman did little work on these excursions, and it is likely that he drew his strips in hurried bursts when in Hollywood.

Stumble Innfinished in late 1925, and it was replaced with the domestic stripUs Husbands(withMistakes Will Happenas a "topper"strip), which ran until the end of that year.In 1928, Herriman took over the stripEmbarrassing Moments,which had begun in 1922 and had been drawn by several cartoonists. The strip eventually becameBernie Burns,in which embarrassing moments would happen to the title character. The strip appeared in few papers, and after it ended in 1932, Herriman worked only onKrazy Kat,although he provided illustrations for Don Marquis' popularArchy and Mehitabel,a series of books of poetry about a cat and a cockroach.

In 1930, Herriman sold his first Hollywood home to a friend and moved his family to 2217 Maravilla Drive, a Spanish-style mansion atop a hill. It was adorned with paintings of Southwest and Native themes, and had a Mexican-style garden paved withflagstonesand decorated with painted pots and tropical plants. Herriman later bought the lot across the street and turned it into a public park.

The 1930s were a period of tragedy for Herriman. On September 29, 1931, his wife Mabel died after an automobile accident,and in 1939, his youngest daughter Bobbie died unexpectedly at 31.

After his wife's death, Herriman never remarried and lived in Los Angeles with his cats and dogs.He developed a close relationship with cartoonist James Swinnerton's first wife Louise, with whom he frequently exchanged letters. Herriman underwent a kidney operation in spring 1938, and during his ten-week convalescence King Features reran oldKrazy Katstrips.

Starting in 1935,Krazy Katran in color. (November 7, 1937)

Krazy Kat's popularity fell considerably over the years, and by the 1930s it was running in only thirty-five newspapers, while its contemporaries such asBringing Up Fatherwere reportedly running in up to a thousand. By some accounts, Herriman's salary from Hearst's King Features Syndicate was $750 a week, and, realizing that this was far more than the revenue the strip could be generating, Herriman once offered to take a pay cut, which Hearst refused;however, according to Michael Tisserand's biography on Herriman from 2016, there exists no evidence of the story that Herriman ever suggested to take a pay cut, or that his salary was $750 a week.

From 1935,Krazy Katappeared in color, of which Herriman made bold use. He reduced the amount of hatchwork and used larger, more open panels.

Herriman died in his sleep in his home near Hollywood on April 25, 1944, after a long illness.An incompletely inked penciling of a week's worth of daily strips was found on his drawing board. On his death certificate, the cause of death was listed as "non-alcoholiccirrhosisof the liver ",and despite his mixed-race heritage, he was listed as "caucasian".TheNew York Journal-Americanran a front-page obituary.His funeral at Little Church of Flowers atForest Lawn Memorial Parkwas attended by few. CartoonistHarry Hershfieldspoke at the funeral, saying, "If ever there was a saint on earth, it was George Herriman".According to his request, his body was cremated and his remains were scattered over Monument Valley.

On June 25, 1944, two months after Herriman's death, the last of his completedKrazy Katstrips, a full-page Sunday, was printed.At the time, Hearst usually engaged new cartoonists when the artists of popular strips quit or died, but he made an exception for Herriman, as he felt that no one could take his place.

Personal life

Herriman was described as self-deprecatingly modest, and he disliked being photographed.TheNew York Journal-American's obituary described him as a devoted husband and father, of slight build, mild-mannered and an anonymous contributor to charities.He was generous to his friends, and sold his first Hollywood house, which he had bought for $50,000, to a friend for $40,000.Though a private person, he was said to be an entertaining host to his friends. He would sometimes stay silent during social occasions and would often leave the room to wash dishes, which he said he enjoyed as it gave him the opportunity to think. His favorite game was poker, which he particularly enjoyed playing with his fellow cartoonists.

Herriman had a great love of animals, and had a large number of dogs and cats;he had five dogs and thirteen cats in 1934.He usually kept to a vegetarian diet, except when it made him feel too weak, and he refused to ride horses. He so admiredHenry Ford's pacifist stance that he would only buyFordautomobiles. He purchased a new model annually.

Herriman married his childhood sweetheart Mabel Lillian Bridge in Los Angeles on July 7, 1902.They had two daughters: Mabel (1903-1962), nicknamed "Toodles" (later "Toots" ) and Barbara (1908-1939), nicknamed "Bobbie",who hadepilepsyand died unexpectedly in 1939 at the age of 31.

Race and identity

Though Herriman had mixed ethnicity, he partook in the ethnic humor that was typical at the time. (Musical Mose,February 16, 1902)

Herriman, who was of mixed heritage, kept his "kinky hair"under a hat (1902).

Herriman was born to mixed-race parents,and his birth certificate lists Herriman as "colored".In the post–Plessy v. FergusonU.S., in which "separate but equal"racial segregation was enshrined, people of mixed race had to choose to identify themselves as either black or white. Herriman seems to have identified himself as white. According to comics academicJeet Heer,his early work is "replete with black caricatures", such asMusical Mose,in which the lead character, an African-American musician, wishes his "color would fade".Racial ambivalence crept intoKrazy Kat,such as on two occasions where Krazy's black fur was dyed white. Ignatz falls in love with the whitened Krazy, only to return to hatred and brick-throwing when the truth is revealed. Similarly, in an oft-repeated joke, Ignatz would accidentally become covered with coal dust and would be spurned by the normally love-struck Krazy. In one such episode, a brick thrown by the blackened Ignatz hits Krazy, who declares, "A lil Eetiopium Mice, black like a month from midnights. Fuwi!"Once Ignatz reverts to his white self, Krazy loves him again.

Herriman's ethnic heritage was unknown to his colleagues. Fellow cartoonist Tad Dorgan nicknamed him "the Greek", a label which stuck and was taken up by his biographers and the press, who called him the son of a Greek baker.At other times, he was identified as French, Irish, and Turkish.He told a friend that he was Creole, and speculated that he may have "Negro blood" in him, as he had "kinky hair".The friend said that Herriman wore a hat to hide his hair,which may have been an attempt topass as white.Herriman said that he dreamed of being reborn a Navajo.On his death certificate, he was listed as "Caucasian",and his daughter Mabel had his father's birthplace listed asParisand his mother's asAlsace-Lorraine.

SociologistArthur Asa Bergermade Herriman's mixed-race heritage known in 1971. While researching for Herriman's entry for theDictionary of American Biography,Berger discovered the cartoonist's race was listed as "colored" on his birth certificate obtained from the New Orleans Board of Health. The 1880 census for New Orleans listed his parents as "mulatto".On reading this, African-American poetIshmael Reeddedicated his 1972 novelMumbo Jumboto "George Herriman, Afro-American, who created Krazy Kat". Herriman came to be identified as Black or Creole in comics literature, including his first book-length biography,Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman(1986),while the "Greek" label stuck with some biographers, and was used byBill Blackbeardin his introductions to theKrazy and Ignatzvolumes in the early 2000s.Later research at theNew Orleans Public Libraryby cartoonist Brian Nelson showed that Herriman's maternal grandmother was born in Havana, Cuba, that all his relatives were listed as "mulatto" on the 1890 census, and that Herriman may also have had Spanish or Native American ancestry.

Reception and legacy

E. E. Cummingswrote the introduction to the firstKrazy Katbook in 1946.

Krazy Katwas popular with intellectuals, artists and critics,and in the 1920s Herriman's modernist touches received praise.In 1921, composer John Alden Carpenter, who had long been an admirer of Herriman's work, approached him to collaborate on aKrazy Katballet.PresidentWoodrow Wilsonrefused to miss any installment ofKrazy Kat,and would take it into cabinet meetings.

WriterE. B. Whitepraised Herriman's illustrations forArchy and Mehitabel.CartoonistEdward Sorelwrote thatKrazy Kat's lack of popularity later in its run was largely due to Hearst's editorial policies, in that the "lowbrow"readership at whom he aimed his papers was unlikely to appreciate Herriman's style of work, though Hearst personally championed the strip.Following Herriman's death, the strip was discontinued, unlike most popular strips which were continued by other cartoonists after their creators' deaths. His stature was such that decades after his death, his work was displayed in art galleries.

Critics found Herriman's work difficult to classify and contextualize; Seldes,E. E. Cummings,and writersAdam GopnikandRobert Warshowwere among critics who tempered their enthusiasm for the strip with qualifications about its perceived naïveté and its "lowbrow" origins on the comic strip page.

The strip has had a lasting influence on a large number of cartoonists.Muttscreator Patrick McDonnell callsKrazy Katone of his foremost influences,and is co-author ofKrazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman(1986).Will Eisnerdiscovered Herriman's comics when he was selling newspapers in the 1930s and calledKrazy Kat"the big strong influence" on his own work.Art Spiegelmancalled Herriman one of his "conscious influences".Herriman's widespread influence on Americanunderground comix,particularly his shape-shifting,psychedelicbackgrounds, lack of respect for convention and his irreverence, is evident in the work ofRobert Crumb,Denis Kitchen,andBobby London.Journalist Paul Krassner called Crumb "the illegitimate offspring ofKrazy Kat".CartoonistChris Warewas so taken with Herriman's work he made a pilgrimage to Monument Valley to see the desert landscapes that inspired much of Herriman's art.

I always thought if I could do something as good asKrazy Kat,I would be happy.Krazy Katwas always my goal.

--Charles M. Schulzin 1967

Krazy Katwas a primary influence on other cartoonists such asCharles M. SchulzofPeanuts,Bill WattersonofCalvin and Hobbes,and the ItalianMassimo Mattioli.Walt Kellypaid homage to Herriman in some of hisPogostrips.Dr. Seussexpressed fondness forKrazy Kat,and children's literature scholarPhilip Nelhas detected Herriman's influence in Seuss's works, especially in his zig-zagging, Coconino County-like backgrounds.Multimedia artistÖyvind FahlströmappropriatedKrazy Katin a series of works from 1963 to 1965.Jay Cantorpublished apostmodern novelin 1987 calledKrazy Kat: A Novel in Five Panels,in which the retired Krazy and Ignatz contemplate a comeback in a post-atomic world.

Since 1997, theSmall Press Expohas held the annualIgnatz Awardsin honor of Herriman's mouse fromKrazy Kat.It recognizes talent in independent comics publishing.Krazy Katwas ranked first onThe Comics Journal's list of the greatest comics of the twentieth century.TheSociety of Illustratorsinducted Herriman into its Hall of Fame in 2013.

Work

Style

Within the seeming strictures of the strip—the recurring characters, the Krazy–Ignatz–Offisa Pupp love triangle—Herriman improvised freely with the story, the shifting backgrounds, and the sex of theKrazy Kat's title character.Among the multicultural influences Herriman mixed in his work were those of the Navajoand Mexican.He made creative use of languagewith a poetical sense,employing multilingual punsin a fanciful mix of dialects from different ethnic backgrounds.Herriman usedmetafictionaltechniques associated withpostmodernism;his characters were self-aware,he frequently drew attention to himself and his drawings as drawings in his strips, and he emphasized the subjectivity of language and experience.

Herriman played with page structures, as with this circular panel, surrounded by borderless panels. He drew with a loose, spontaneous line, and had his characters speak in dialect-heavy, poetic dialogue.

Herriman drew with what cartoonist Edward Sorel called a "liberated, spontaneous-looking style... a cartoon counterpart ofexpressionism".It was organic, and his pen strokes had a dynamic, thick-and-thin range which Sorel describes as instantly recognizable and difficult to imitate. TheKrazy KatSunday pages showed Herriman experimenting most freely—each had a unique panel layout and logo,and the jumbled panels could be circles, irregular shapes, or borderless.In his last few years, Herriman's arthritis led to an ever-scratchier style of art; he used a knife to scratch out whites from inked surfaces, giving the artwork the look of awoodcut.

Collections

Chris Waredesigned the completeKrazy KatSundays seriesKrazy and Ignatz.

Krazy Kathas beencollectedin a variety of formats over the years, though Herriman's other strips have been less frequently reprinted.George Herriman's Krazy Kat(1946) was the firstKrazy Katcollection;it featured an introduction by poetE. E. Cummings.Comics historian Bill Blackbeard began compiling a complete collection ofKrazy KatSundays beginning in 1988, but the publisherEclipse Comicswent bankrupt in 1992, before the series was complete.Blackbeard's thirteen-volumeKrazy and Ignatzseries was published byFantagraphics Booksbeginning in 2002, and was designed by Chris Ware.In 2010, Sunday Press Books releasedKrazy Kat: A Celebration of Sundays,which reprinted a selection ofKrazy KatSundays and some of Herriman's pre-Krazy Katwork in a 14-by-17-inch (36 cm × 43 cm) format, which approximated the original printed size of the strips.In 2012, IDW began issuing a three-volumeBaron Beanreprinting,and Fantagraphics will releaseGeorge Herriman's Stumble Inn.Fantagraphics has also announced plans to collect the completeKrazy Katdailies at an unspecified time.

List of comic strips

Herriman had many long- and short-lived comic strips. (Baron Beandaily for Friday, April 14, 1916, subtitled "We Fear Grimes's Employer Is a Bit Peevish" )

Comic strips by George Herriman

Title	Begin date	End date
Musical Mose	February 16, 1902	March 9, 1902
Professor Otto and his Auto	March 30, 1902	December 28, 1902
Acrobatic Archie	April 13, 1902	January 25, 1903
Two Jollie Jackies	January 11, 1903	November 15, 1903
Lariat Pete	September 6, 1903	November 15, 1903
Major Ozone's Fresh Air Crusade	January 2, 1904	October 20, 1906
Home Sweet Home	February 22, 1904	March 4, 1904
Bud Smith	October 29, 1905	October 20, 1906
Mr. Proones the Plunger	December 7, 1906	December 26, 1906
Rosy Posy, Mama's Girl	May 19, 1906	September 15, 1906
Grandma's Girl	November 26, 1905	May 19, 1906
Baron Mooch	October 12, 1909	December 19, 1909
Mary's Home from College	February 19, 1909	March 27, 1919
Gooseberry Sprig	December 23, 1909	January 24, 1910
Alexander the Cat	November 7, 1909	January 9, 1910
Daniel and Pansy	November 21, 1909	December 4, 1909
The Dingbat Family/The Family Upstairs	June 20, 1910	January 4, 1916
Krazy Kat	October 28, 1913	June 25, 1944
Baron Bean	January 5, 1916	January 22, 1919
Now Listen Mabel	January 23, 1919	December 18, 1919
Stumble Inn	October 30, 1922	October 30, 1925
Us Husbands	January 9, 1926	December 18, 1926
Mistakes Will Happen	January 9, 1926	December 18, 1926
Embarrassing Moments/Bernie Burns	April 28, 1928	December 3, 1932

References

Works cited

Books

• Anderson, Eric Gary (1999)."Krazy Kat I: Context and Crossings".American Indian Literature and the Southwest: Contexts and Dispositions.University of Texas Press. pp. 147–168.ISBN978-0-292-78393-5.
• Baetens, Jan (2012). "Words and Images in the Contemporary Graphic Novel". In Herzogenrath, Bernd (ed.).Travels in Intermedia[lity]: ReBlurring the Boundaries.University Press of New England. pp. 92–110.ISBN978-1-61168-261-8.
• Beaty, Bart (2005).Fredric Wertham and the Critique of Mass Culture.University Press of Mississippi.ISBN978-1-60473-071-5.
• Berger, Arthur Asa (1996).Manufacturing Desire: Media, Popular Culture, and Everyday Life.Transaction Publishers.ISBN978-1-4128-2801-7.
• Collins, Jim (1991). "Appropriating Like Krazy: From Pop Art to Meta-Pop". In Naremore, James; Brantlinger, Patrick (eds.).Modernity and Mass Culture.Indiana University Press.ISBN978-0-253-20627-5.
• Collins, Jim (1994).Architectures of Excess: Cultural Life in the Information Age.Taylor & Francis.ISBN978-0-415-90706-4.
• Elam, Michele (2011).The Souls of Mixed Folk: Race, Politics, and Aesthetics in the New Millennium.Stanford University Press.ISBN978-0-8047-7730-8.
• Estren, Mark James (1974).A History of Underground Comics.Ronin Publishing.ISBN978-0-914171-64-5.
• Gabilliet, Jean-Paul; Beaty, Bart; Nguyen, Nick (2010).Of Comics and Men: A Cultural History of American Comic Books.University Press of Mississippi.ISBN978-1-60473-267-2.
• Gorman, Paul R. (1996).Left Intellectuals and Popular Culture in Twentieth-Century America.University of North Carolina Press.ISBN978-0-8078-4556-1.
• Harrington Hall, Mary (2000). "A Conversation with Charles Schulz". In Inge, M. Thomas (ed.).Charles M. Schulz: Conversations.University Press of Mississippi. pp. 45–75.ISBN978-1-57806-305-5.
• Harvey, Robert C.(1994).The Art of the Funnies: An Aesthetic History.University Press of Mississippi.ISBN978-0-87805-674-3.
• Healey, Robin Patrick (1998).Twentieth-Century Italian Literature in English Translation: An Annotated Bibliography 1929–1997.University of Toronto Press.ISBN978-0-8020-0800-8.
• Heer, Jeet (2010). "Inventing Cartooning Ancestors: Ware and the Comics Canon". In Ball, David M; Kuhlman, Martha B (eds.).The Comics of Chris Ware: Drawing Is a Way of Thinking.University Press of Mississippi. pp. 3–13.ISBN978-1-60473-442-3.
• Hignite, Todd (2006). "Robert Crumb".In the Studio: Visits with Contemporary Cartoonists.Yale University Press. pp. 6–39.ISBN978-0-300-11016-6.
• Inge, M. Thomas(May 1996). "Was Krazy Black? The Racial Identity of George Herriman".Inks: Cartoons and Comic Art Studies.3(2): 2–9.ISSN1071-9156.
• Jacobowitz, Susan (2007)."'Words and Pictures Together': An Interview with Art Spiegelman ".In Witek, Joseph (ed.).Art Spiegelman: Conversations.University Press of Mississippi. pp. 152–162.ISBN978-1-934110-12-6.
• Johnson, Charles Richard (1999).I Call Myself an Artist: Writings by and About Charles Johnson.Indiana University Press.ISBN978-0-253-33541-8.
• Kaplan, Arie (2008).From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books.Jewish Publication Society.ISBN978-0-8276-0843-6.
• Marschall, Richard(1997).America's Great Comic-Strip Artists: From the Yellow Kid to Peanuts.Stewart, Tabori & Chang.ISBN978-1-55670-646-2.
• Martell, Nevin (2009).Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and his Revolutionary Comic Strip.Continuum International Publishing Group.ISBN978-0-8264-2984-1.
• McDonnell, Patrick;O'Connell, Karen; Havenon, Georgia Riley de (1986).Krazy Kat: The Comic Art of George Herriman.Abrams Books.ISBN978-0-8109-9185-9.
• McDonnell, Patrick(2007).The Best of Mutts.Andrews McMeel Publishing.ISBN978-0-7407-6844-6.
• McGavran, James Holt (1998).Literature and the Child: Romantic Continuations, Postmodern Contestations.University of Iowa Press.ISBN978-1-58729-291-0.
• Petersen, Robert S. (2011).Comics, Manga, and Graphic Novels: A History of Graphic Narratives.ABC-CLIO.ISBN978-0-313-36330-6.
• Nel, Philip(2003).Dr. Seuss: American Icon.Continuum International Publishing Group.ISBN978-0-8264-1708-4.
• Nel, Philip(2012).Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children's Literature.University Press of Mississippi.ISBN978-1-61703-636-1.
• Pollack, Howard(2001).John Alden Carpenter: A Chicago Composer.University of Illinois Press.ISBN978-0-252-07014-3.
• Schulz, Charles Monroe(2010).My Life with Charlie Brown.University Press of Mississippi.ISBN978-1-60473-448-5.
• Seldes, Gilbert(1924). "The Krazy Kat That Walks By Himself".The Seven Lively Arts.pp. 231–245. Archived fromthe originalon February 24, 1999.
• Soper, Kerry (2008).Garry Trudeau: Doonesbury and the Aesthetics of Satire.University Press of Mississippi.ISBN978-1-934110-88-1.
• Tompkins, Vincent (1996).American Decades: 1910–1919.Gale Research.ISBN978-0-8103-5723-5.
• Watterson, Bill(1995).The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book.Andrews McMeel Publishing.ISBN0-8362-0438-7.
• Waugh, Coulton(1947).The Comics.University Press of Mississippi.ISBN978-0-87805-499-2.
• White, David Manning (1963).The Funnies: an American idiom.Free Press of Glencoe.
• Wolk, Douglas(2008).Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean.Da Capo Press.ISBN978-0-7867-2157-3.

Journals and magazines

• Amiran, Eyal (September 2000)."George Herriman's Black Sentence: The Legibility of Race inKrazy Kat".Mosaic.33(3): 56–70.RetrievedOctober 13,2012.
• Blackbeard, Bill(June 1983). "The Forgotten Years of George Herriman".Nemo(1): 50–60.
• Boxer, Sarah (April 2006)."'Masters of American Comics': UCLA Hammer Museum Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles ".Artforum International.RetrievedSeptember 28,2012.
• Boxer, Sarah (May 16, 2012)."Krazy Kriticism: The Tics of the Trade".Los Angeles Review of Books.RetrievedOctober 12,2012.
• Cornog, Martha (May 3, 2012)."Graphic Novels Prepub Alert: A New Life for Peanuts, Jeff Smith's Series for Adults & Tezuka's Final Work".Library Journal.RetrievedOctober 13,2012.
• Hancock, La Touche (November 1902). "American Caricature and Comic Art".The Bookman:263–274.
• Harvey, R. C.(February 2003). "Re-emerging Talent of the Year: George Herriman".The Comics Journal(250): 59–62.
• Harvey, R. C.(April 10, 2010)."Krazy Theme Park".The Comics Journal.RetrievedOctober 2,2012.
• Ito, Robert (January 2003)."Love Hurts".Los Angeles.48(1): 94.RetrievedOctober 2,2012.
• Lundy, Tiel (2011)."Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist".Shofar.29(2): 193.doi:10.1353/sho.2011.0069.S2CID170793886.RetrievedSeptember 28,2012.
• Sorel, Edward(Winter 1992).Marschall, Richard(ed.). "Krazy Kat:A Love Story ".Nemo(32): 22–25.
• Timestaff (May 8, 1944)."Among the Unlimitless Etha".Time.Archived fromthe originalon October 23, 2007.RetrievedMay 10,2008.

Newspapers

• Boxer, Sarah (July 7, 2007)."Herriman: Cartoonist Who Equalled Cervantes".The Daily Telegraph.RetrievedFebruary 3,2009.
• Chicago Daily Tribunestaff (September 30, 1931). "Obituary".Chicago Daily Tribune.p. 22.
• Heer, Jeet (December 11, 2005)."A Cat-and-Mouse Game of Identity".Toronto Star.Archived fromthe originalon October 1, 2007.RetrievedJune 20,2007.Alt URL
• Kramer, Hilton(January 17, 1982)."Critics' Choices".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 8,2013.
• Los Angeles Timesstaff (September 30, 1931). "Obituary".Los Angeles Times.p. 20.
• Lyons, Leonard (May 3, 1944)."The Lyons Den".Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.RetrievedFebruary 3,2009.
• McCash, Doug (July 25, 2010)."New Book Celebrates, Century-Old 'Krazy Kat' Cartoons Created by a Crescent City-Born Artist".The Times-Picayune.RetrievedOctober 17,2012.
• Mostrom, Anthony (August 29, 2010)."L.A. Cartoonist Was Obscure and Misunderstood – the Epitome of Avant-Garde".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedAugust 31,2012.
• New York Timesstaff (April 27, 1944)."George Herriman, Noted Cartoonist. Creator of 'Krazy Kat' Comic Strip Dies in Hollywood at 66. Once a House Painter".The New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 3,2009.
• Sabin, Roger(June 16, 2002)."A Cat Above the Rest".The Observer.RetrievedOctober 2,2012.
• Stern, Alexander (November 20, 2008)."Symphony in Black and White: Krazy Kat Kontinued".Times Union.RetrievedOctober 17,2012.
• Tashlin, Frank(November 3, 1946). "In Coconino County".The New York Times.p. 161.

Web

• Bloom, John (June 23, 2003)."Krazy Kat Keeps Kracking".United Press International.RetrievedSeptember 27,2012.
• Gardner, Alan (May 10, 2013)."Schulz, Herriman inducted into Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame".Archived fromthe originalon June 28, 2013.RetrievedApril 2,2015.
• Heer, Jeet (March 12, 2011)."Racism as a Stylistic Choice and other Notes".The Comics Journal.RetrievedJanuary 16,2012.
• Mautner, Chris (July 4, 2011)."Comics College | George Herriman".Comic Book Resources.RetrievedApril 24,2023.
• Siegel, Harry (December 3, 2004)."Krazy's America – No Austerities".New Partisan.RetrievedOctober 12,2012.
• Comic Book Resourcesstaff (June 19, 2012)."IDW Publishing Solicitations for September, 2012".Comic Book Resources.RetrievedOctober 13,2012.

Further reading

• Marschall, Richard(December 1985). Marschall, Richard (ed.). "The Diary of a Deluded Dandy: Baron Bean de la Mancha He Runs for Constable".Nemo(16). Fantagraphics Books: 6–14.
• Orvell, Miles (Spring 1992). "Writing Posthistorically:Krazy Kat,Maus,and the Contemporary Fiction Cartoon ".American Literary History.4(1). Oxford University Press: 110–128.doi:10.1093/alh/4.1.110.
• Tisserand, Michael (2016).Krazy: George Herriman, A Life in Black and White.Harper.ISBN978-0061732997.

External links

• Media related toGeorge Herrimanat Wikimedia Commons
• ignatzmouse.net,"The only website dedicated to 'Ignatz Mouse'"
• Comic Strip Librarycollection of public domainKrazy Katstrips
• Baron Moochcollection atBarnacle Press
• Herriman's Krazy KountryatCoconino Worldhas selections fromMary's Home from College
• Videotour of George Herriman's New Orleans
• Fitzgerald, Eddie (January 5, 2012)."Tracing the Evolution of George Herriman's Style".RetrievedOctober 17,2012.