Harrison Cady
Encyclopedia
Walter Harrison Cady was an American
illustrator
best known for his Peter Rabbit comic strip which he wrote and drew for 28 years.
Cady was born in Gardner
, Massachusetts
, to a town selectman, Edwin Cady, who ran a local general store. His father fostered a love of nature and encouraged his art skills. Cady entered an apprenticeship with a local painter, Parker Perkins. His first publication came as early as 1894: an illustration in a supplement to Harper's Young People
(signed Walter H. Cady).
Harrison was 18 when his father was killed in Boston. He moved to New York City
and within a year found work as an illustrator with the Brooklyn Eagle
newspaper. His salary of $10 a week made it possible for him to support his mother; the two lived in a Greenwich Village cold water flat. He stayed at the Brooklyn Eagle for four years, while also freelancing to other publications.
His income increased considerably after Life
editor John Ames Mitchell
signed Cady as staff artist and cartoonist. This led to a long career as a newspaper and magazine illustrator, as well as numerous children's books, featuring both fantastic and realistic animal illustrations. After his escalating success through the 1920s, Cady and his wife Melinna decided to take an extended vacation. Touring Europe for two months in 1931, they visited London, Paris, Avignon, Brussels, Arles, Amsterdam, Rome and Venice. In a letter to Harrison's mother, Melinna detailed their adventures:
He had a long association with Thornton Burgess
, illustrating the writer's books and his daily newspaper column, "Bedtime Stories". Their partnership spanned five decades, beginning with Baby Possum Has a Scare (c. 1912), The Adventures of Reddy Fox (1913) and Buster Bear Invites Old Mr. Toad to Dine (c. 1914), The series continued into the 1950s with At Paddy the Beaver's Pond (1950), followed by the reprint The Animal World of Thornton Burgess (1962).
Cady was very prolific, illustrating over 70 years for such publications as St. Nicholas Magazine
, Boys' Life
, The Saturday Evening Post
, Ladies' Home Journal
, Good Housekeeping
and Country Gentleman
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
best known for his Peter Rabbit comic strip which he wrote and drew for 28 years.
Cady was born in Gardner
Gardner, Massachusetts
Gardner, Massachusetts is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 20,228 as of the 2010 census. Gardner is home to Dunn State Park, Gardner Heritage State Park, Lake Wampanoag Wildlife Sanctuary, and Mount Wachusett Community College.-History:Named in honor of...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, to a town selectman, Edwin Cady, who ran a local general store. His father fostered a love of nature and encouraged his art skills. Cady entered an apprenticeship with a local painter, Parker Perkins. His first publication came as early as 1894: an illustration in a supplement to Harper's Young People
Harper's Young People
Harper's Young People was an American children's magazine between 1879 and 1899. It was published by Harper & Brothers. It was Harper's fourth magazine to be established, after Harper's Magazine , Harper's Weekly , and Harper's Bazaar...
(signed Walter H. Cady).
Harrison was 18 when his father was killed in Boston. He moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and within a year found work as an illustrator with the Brooklyn Eagle
Brooklyn Eagle
The Brooklyn Daily Bulletin began publishing when the original Eagle folded in 1955. In 1996 it merged with a newly revived Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and now publishes a morning paper five days a week under the Brooklyn Daily Eagle name...
newspaper. His salary of $10 a week made it possible for him to support his mother; the two lived in a Greenwich Village cold water flat. He stayed at the Brooklyn Eagle for four years, while also freelancing to other publications.
His income increased considerably after 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....
editor John Ames Mitchell
John Ames Mitchell
John Ames Mitchell was a publisher, architect, artist and novelist. He was regarded as a Renaissance man who kept to himself but influenced many. A Harvard University educated architect who studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, in 1883 he co-founded Life magazine with Andrew Miller...
signed Cady as staff artist and cartoonist. This led to a long career as a newspaper and magazine illustrator, as well as numerous children's books, featuring both fantastic and realistic animal illustrations. After his escalating success through the 1920s, Cady and his wife Melinna decided to take an extended vacation. Touring Europe for two months in 1931, they visited London, Paris, Avignon, Brussels, Arles, Amsterdam, Rome and Venice. In a letter to Harrison's mother, Melinna detailed their adventures:
- So far I like Paris as a place to live better than any other city... the shops, the museums with the great works of art... The Follies!!! and on and on. Venice is filled with charm & great beauty & romance yet back of it all, I could imagine in time one might feel the past tragedy of the place. Every afternoon at 4, Harrison & I started in a gondola and just wandered in & out & around until 8 o'clock. It, no doubt, sounds utterly foolish at my age to be so enthusiastic about everything, but, my dear, I am living in a state of thrills."
He had a long association with Thornton Burgess
Thornton Burgess
Thornton Waldo Burgess was a conservationist and author of children's stories. Burgess loved the beauty of nature and its living creatures so much that he wrote about them for 50 years in books and his newspaper column, "Bedtime Stories". He was sometimes known as the Bedtime Story-Man...
, illustrating the writer's books and his daily newspaper column, "Bedtime Stories". Their partnership spanned five decades, beginning with Baby Possum Has a Scare (c. 1912), The Adventures of Reddy Fox (1913) and Buster Bear Invites Old Mr. Toad to Dine (c. 1914), The series continued into the 1950s with At Paddy the Beaver's Pond (1950), followed by the reprint The Animal World of Thornton Burgess (1962).
St. Nicholas Magazine
St. Nicholas Magazine was a popular children's magazine, founded by Scribner's in 1873. The first editor was Mary Mapes Dodge, who continued her association with the magazine until her death in 1905. Dodge published work by the country's best writers, including Louisa May Alcott, Francis Hodgson...
, Boys' Life
Boys' Life
Boys' Life is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America . Its targeted readership is young American males between the ages of 6 and 18.Boys' Life is published in two demographic editions...
, The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post
The Saturday Evening Post is a bimonthly American magazine. It was published weekly under this title from 1897 until 1969, and quarterly and then bimonthly from 1971.-History:...
, Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...
, Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping
Good Housekeeping is a women's magazine owned by the Hearst Corporation, featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, health as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good Housekeeping Seal," popularly known as the...
and Country Gentleman
Country Gentleman
Country Gentleman was an agricultural magazine founded in 1831 in Rochester, NY by Luther Tucker. The magazine was purchased by Curtis Publishing Company in 1911. Curtis redirected the magazine to address the business side of farming, which was largely ignored by the agricultural magazines of the...
.
Peter Rabbit
Cady's Peter Rabbit comic strip was launched by the New York Herald Tribune Syndicate on August 15, 1920. He continued write and draw the strip for almost three decades. When he retired in 1948, Vince Fago drew the strip. Avon published Cady's Peter Rabbit Comics in 1947.Further reading
- Watson, Ernest W. 40 Illustrators: How They Work (includes photograph of Cady's studio)
External links
- Archives of American Art: Harrison Cady sketchbook (1943), with Harrison Cady illustrations