Nell Brinkley (1886-1944) Blowing Bubbles. [CARTOON / COMICS / FEMALE / EISNER AWARD]

Lot description

NELL BRINKLEY (1886-1944) Blowing Bubbles. Pen and ink on stiff paper, circa 1915. 450x304 mm; 17 3/4x12 inches. Tipped to window matte on verso in two areas along top. Framed. Nell Brinkley, referred to as the "Queen of Comics," was one of the 20th Century's earliest female pathbreakers in the field of comics and illustration. Her unique style and flair were so popular that, by the time she was 25, she became a household name, Ziegfeld dressed his famous dancers as "Brinkley Girls," songs were written about her, and "Nell Brinkley Hair Curlers" allowed countless fans to emulate her chic, corkscrew-coiffed gals. Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst was so taken by her work that he called her from her native Denver to Brooklyn in 1907 to contribute to his daily papers. OVer the following decades, her sassy all-American characters, mostly young working girls and those fighting for the war effort, carried the spirit of freedom and feminism that women were feeling and yearning to express. These "Brinkley Girls" were often engaged in more independent, bolder, and daring activities than those depicted by other artists of the day. This year, the San Diego Comic Con inducted Brinkley into the Eisner Award Hall of Fame.