Gardner Rea
Encyclopedia
Gardner Rea was an American
cartoonist
, and one of the original contributing artists to The New Yorker
. Of Rea, one commentator has written: “He was bawdy without being obscene, absurd without being obscure. His captioned and uncaptioned gags were pithy and true.”
A native of Ironton, Ohio
, Rea was born into an artistic family and planned to become a painter. When he was fifteen years old, he sold a gag cartoon to Life
magazine.
He attended East High School
in Columbus, Ohio
and Ohio State University
, where he met and befriended James Thurber
. Rea played tennis in college and was the editor of the humor magazine, the Sundial, which he had helped to found.
From 1914, he worked as a freelance writer and artist in Manhattan
, and contributed to Life and Judge magazines. During World War I
, he served in the Chemical Warfare Service.
He began contributing not only drawings and covers but also gags to The New Yorker after it was founded in 1925. Artists such as Charles Addams
and Helen Hokinson
drew cartoons based on gags written by Rea.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, and one of the original contributing artists to The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. Of Rea, one commentator has written: “He was bawdy without being obscene, absurd without being obscure. His captioned and uncaptioned gags were pithy and true.”
A native of Ironton, Ohio
Ironton, Ohio
Ironton is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Lawrence County. The municipality is located in southern Ohio along the Ohio River. The population was 11,211 at the 2000 census. Ironton is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the...
, Rea was born into an artistic family and planned to become a painter. When he was fifteen years old, he sold a gag cartoon to Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine.
He attended East High School
East High School (Columbus, Ohio)
East High School is a public high school located on the near east side of Columbus, Ohio at 1500 E. Broad Street. It is a part of Columbus City Schools. It was originally constructed in 1922....
in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
and Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, where he met and befriended James Thurber
James Thurber
James Grover Thurber was an American author, cartoonist and celebrated wit. Thurber was best known for his cartoons and short stories published in The New Yorker magazine.-Life:...
. Rea played tennis in college and was the editor of the humor magazine, the Sundial, which he had helped to found.
From 1914, he worked as a freelance writer and artist in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and contributed to Life and Judge magazines. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he served in the Chemical Warfare Service.
He began contributing not only drawings and covers but also gags to The New Yorker after it was founded in 1925. Artists such as Charles Addams
Charles Addams
Charles "Chas" Samuel Addams was an American cartoonist known for his particularly black humor and macabre characters...
and Helen Hokinson
Helen Hokinson
Helen Elna Hokinson was an American cartoonist and a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker. Over a 20-year span, she contributed 68 covers and more than 1,800 cartoons to The New Yorker....
drew cartoons based on gags written by Rea.
External links
- http://www.cartoonbank.com/bin/venda?ex=co_wizr-locayta&template=wz_locayta&pageno=1&perpage=20&collate=ivtype%3Acat%3Apdxtlayout%3Apdxtstyle%3Apdxtdecade%3Apdxtpublicationdate%3Apdxtartist%3Apdxtpublished%3Apdxtperson%3Apdxtdesigner%3Apdxtauthor%3Apdxtlocation%3Apdxtcity%3Apdxtstate%3Apdxtcountry&refine_sort_alph=&fieldrtype=type&termtextrtype=invt&typertype=exact&fieldcatrestrict=xancestorid&termtextcatrestrict=shop&typecatrestrict=exact&typekeywordsearch=keyword&termtextkeywordsearch=Gardner+ReaGardner Rea cartoons at the New Yorker's Cartoon Bank]
- Comrades in Art: Gardner Rea