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Camera-ready comic art drawing for Mary Worth

National Museum of American History

Object Details

author
Saunders, John Allen
graphic artist
Ernst, Ken
publisher
Publishers Newspapers Syndicate, Inc.
Description (Brief)
This pen-and-ink drawing prepared for the Mary Worth comic strip shows Mary and her neighbor Mrs. Hardin arguing about the way Bertie should be raised.
Kenneth Frederic Ernst (1918-1985) studied art in Chicago. In 1936 he joined the Harry "A" Chesler shop for comic book production and distribution. While still working there he began collaborating with Frank Martinek on the strip Don Winslow of the Navy. Ernst took over drawing the Mary Worth strip from Dale Ulrey in 1942. He was noted for his photorealistic drawing style. The strip itself was a departure from other contemporary strips, most of which were violent, wartime strips.
Mary Worth (1938- ) is a soap opera-style comic strip about a mature, intrusive suburbanite. The strip became popular because of its looks into upscale lifestyles, romantic entanglements, and dysfunctional families. Allen Saunders wrote the unconnected-style storyline in the 1940s and 1950s. Over the years Mary has become a more regularly featured character and continues her role as the link to the range of cast members and their various stories.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Newspaper Comics Council, Inc., New York, NY
1966-06-17
ID Number
GA.22429
catalog number
22429
accession number
277502
Object Name
drawing
Object Type
Drawings
Other Terms
drawing; Pen and Ink
Physical Description
paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 18 cm x 50.8 cm; 7 1/16 in x 20 in
See more items in
Work and Industry: Graphic Arts
Popular Entertainment
Family & Social Life
Cultures & Communities
Comic Art
Communications
Art
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_797329
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-ecb9-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

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  • Comic Art

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Comic art by Ken Ernst, Mary Worth (Copyright King Features Syndicate)
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

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