Looking Forward to Looking Back, Vol. 11

As a collector of old things I am always delighted to see a new publisher arrive on the market making more reprints of classic material available to fans. An even greater treat though is when such a publisher offers not just mere reprints, but when those reprints are presented with the highest regard to preservation, scholarship, and restoration. It is my belief such efforts deserve admiration, so to that end my column this week focuses on The Rosebud Archives and the passion and purpose of its founding partners Rick Marschall and Jonathan Barli.

The Rosebud Archives launched its online initiative this past week, with a blog and store and so much more! With every feature it is ever apparent how great an affection these men possess for the materials they reproduce. The store offers an array of books, portfolios, prints, stationary, and it appears there's much, much more to come! Already the Archives offers work by a variety of fine artists, illustrators, and cartoonists ranging from the very important to the nearly forgotten, such as:

Winsor McCay (1867-1934) - American cartoonist and animator, creator of the comic strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland, and the early cartoon, Gertie the Dinosaur.

George Herriman (1880-1944) - American cartoonist and creator of the comic strip Krazy Kat.

Clare Briggs - (1875-1930) American cartoonist and creator of A. Piker Clerk.

F. von Rezniček (1868-1909) - Austrian painter, caricaturist, and illustrator.

Charles Dana Gibson (1867–1944) - American illustrator, remembered for his creation of The Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th Century.

Gluyas Williams (1888-1982) - American cartoonist for Collier's, Century, Life and The New Yorker magazines.

Harrison Cady (1877–1970) - American illustrator and cartoonist of the comic strip, Peter Rabbit.

...and these names are only the beginning!

The array of products featuring the work of classic illustrators and cartoonists is as vast as the Archives founders love of the material they reproduce. The source material for these works come from Rick Marschall's personal collection of graphic materials that spans two centuries of prints, posters, comic strips, books, and other ephemera. Marschall is more than just a super-collector though. Rick Marschall has a served as an editor at Disney Comics and Marvel Comics, where he found Epic Illustrated. He has edited several comic strips and served as founder and editor of two magazines, Nemo and Hogan's Alley, which were dedicated to documenting the history of comic strips. After also writing and editing more than 50 books on numerous everything from the golden age of television to the history of country music, it's no wonder Bostonia Magazine magazine regards Marschall as "America's foremost authority on pop culture." His business partner, Jonathan Barli holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts and has spent years digitising and restoring comic strips and cartoons, with a focus on collecting and restoring the works of many a “forgotten” cartoonist.

Well, there's nothing more I can tell you of The Rosebud Archives that their beautiful site cannot, so please if you have any interest in this age of art, comic strips, and illustration, take some time to visit their page and acknowledge the work they do. I'm off to look further at their section of prints and daydream about what would look good on my walls!

May you have a good week and a wonderful holiday!

Until next time!