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Lot 302: Collection of the magazine art of first nationally-prominent Black cartoonist E. Simms Campbell.

Est: $200 USD - $300 USDPassed
PBA Galleries Auctions & AppraisersSan Francisco, CA, USAugust 14, 2014

Item Overview

Description

Campbell, E. Simms. Collection of his magazine art. Includes: a full issue of Life magazine, August 14, 1931, with one of his earliest cartoons on Page 19; 4 pages of Campbell cartoons removed from the August and December 1938 and September 1939 issues of Esquire; the full Esquire issue of April 1938, for which Campbell both wrote and illustrated a 4-page article about his trip to Haiti with a 3-page color “Portfolio of Haitian Sketches”.

Artist or Maker

Date

1931-39

Condition Report

very good

Provenance

After studying art in Chicago, Elmer Simms Campbell (1906-1971) moved to New York City, working in an advertising agency while contributing cartoons to national humor magazines, these illustrations being the first work by an African-American artist to be featured in popular national periodicals. Then in 1933, Campbell’s career took off when he began a 25 year association with the new Esquire magazine, for which he created its pop-eyed cover mascot. While he had close ties to Harlem Renaissance culture throughout the Depression era – illustrating a novel about Haiti by Anna Bontemps and Langston Hughes, a book of poetry by Sterling Brown, brochures for the Cotton Club, and his legendary 1933 “Night Club Map of Harlem” (see the next listing) - not until 1938 did he occasionally incorporate “real” Black figures and themes into his work - like the four Esquire pages in this group, one depicting Harlem street scenes to accompany a Sterling Brown poem, another being a striking portrait of a Black music club. The illustrated Haiti article may be his first (and only) stab at illustrating his own words. By World War II, Campbell returned to the white mainstream, producing “Cuties” cartoons featuring sexy blond women “on the make” which were popular with GIs. By the 1950s, his Esquire cartoons (four examples are included here) only occasionally showed Black figures as stereotypic African natives or fantasy Turkish Harem slaves.

Payment & Shipping

Payment

Accepted forms of payment: Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa

Shipping

We have a full service shipping department to ensure proper packing and safe delivery of purchases at reasonable cost. We are specialists at packing and shipping books and works on paper. All lots purchased by the same client are combined for shipping in order to keep the cost as economical as possible. Our preferred method for domestic shipments is UPS Ground but we can also ship via FedEx or USPS. For international orders we select the most appropriate carrier depending on the value and weight of the items purchased. We are happy to accommodate special arrangements by request.

Invoices are sent out the day following the auction and include a $10 handling fee plus actual shipping and insurance charges.

Shipping estimates can be obtained directly from the lot details page for each item or by contacting William Taylor at bill@pbagalleries.com prior to the auction.

Auction Details

Terms

Buyer's Premium

23.0%

Bidding Increments

From:To:Increment:
$0$199$10
$200$499$25
$500$999$50
$1,000$1,999$100
$2,000$4,999$250
$5,000$9,999$500
$10,000$19,999$1,000
$20,000$49,999$2,500
$50,000$99,999$5,000
$100,000+$10,000

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Invoices

For all successful bidders, invoices will be sent via email the day following the auction. The final amount due includes the hammer price, the buyer's premium, the Artfact transaction fee, any applicable state or local sales taxes, and shipping and handling charges unless we have received other instructions. Payment is due upon receipt.

Shipping Terms

We have a full service shipping department to ensure proper packing and safe delivery of purchases at reasonable cost. We are specialists at packing and shipping books and works on paper. All lots purchased by the same client are combined for shipping in order to keep the cost as economical as possible. Our preferred method for domestic shipments is UPS Ground but we can also ship via FedEx or USPS. For international orders we select the most appropriate carrier depending on the value and weight of the items purchased. We are happy to accommodate special arrangements by request.

Invoices are sent out the day following the auction and include a $10 handling fee plus actual shipping and insurance charges.

Shipping estimates can be obtained directly from the lot details page for each item or by contacting William Taylor at bill@pbagalleries.com prior to the auction.