The shimmering hardwood floors will reflect more than sunlight when the Delray Beach Archives room exhibits cartoons by nationally known artists.
The works, produced locally during the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s, reflect the area’s heritage.
Located on the second floor of the Cornell Museum, the exhibit, which begins Tuesday, will feature 25 cartoons. The most famous of the group are those drawn by H.T. Webster (1885-1952), Fontaine Fox (1884-1964), Herb Roth (1887-1953) and W.J. ‘Pat’ Enright (1876-1969).
Along with the displayed cartoons, the archives provide a handy binder filled with additional replicas of the works and extensive background information on the artists.
The exhibit is running concurrently with the Cornell Museum’s “The Story of America in Cartoons.”The archives room is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday.
It is unclear what drew the artists to the area, but their impact on South Florida was indelible.
Webster’s work provides a lushness and fluidity. The panels are often large and the expressions of his characters are well defined. Webster’s famous Timid Soul series captured the spirit of everyday life. In one particular cartoon, Webster’s concern for the environment is evident. In the strip, a man is bass fishing in the village reservoir when he accidently drops his cigar. At first he leaves it behind, but fearful that it could pollute the town’s water supply, the character goes back to retrieve it.
Webster’s most famous character was Casper Milquetoast of the Timid Soul series. He is the only running character that Webster actually named. Other popular series by Webster include The Thrill That Comes Once in A Lifetime and Life’s Darkest Moment.
Roth, who was an assistant to Webster, was an editorial cartoonist for the Delray Beach News. Roth and Webster shared an office above the Arcade Tap Room. It was probably this panoramic view that inspired Roth’s creations.
Although Roth’s and Webster’s styles are similar, the most distinguishable difference is Roth’s abundant use of characters. The frames are crammed with people and their comments. The humor of Roth’s work does not come from jokes, it comes from life.
Roth’s Atlantic Avenue Street Scene (1944) depicts a collage of the times. Military men in uniforms with their girlfriends, someone with a baby named MacArthur Eisenhower, two bookies talking about betting the horses and a dog fight. From his window above Atlantic Avenue, Roth captured the world below and recreated it in great detail.
Fox, who first came to Delray Beach in the ’20s, was much more farcical than either Webster or Roth. His Toonerville Folks and Toonerville Trolley employed oddball characters and a wisecracking attitude.
Enright first visited Delray Beach in the ’20s and moved permanently in 1934. He was an editorial cartoonist for the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post. An environmentalist with a special affinity for the Florida alligator, Enright used to take a bus to Miami to work.
One of his most popular creations was “Al Alligator,” the main character in a series of children’s books written and illustrated by Enright.
