E. Simms Campbell Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
American, 1906-1971
Elmer Simms Campbell (January 2, 1906 – January 27, 1971) was an American commercial artist best known as the cartoonist who signed his work, E. Simms Campbell. The first African-American cartoonist published in nationally distributed, slick magazines, he created Esky,the familiar pop-eyed mascot of Esquire. Campbell was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of educators, Elizabeth Simms Campbell & Elmer Campbell
He then enrolled in the University of Chicago. After one year, Campbell left the University of Chicago and transferred to and received his degree from the Chicago Art Institute.
He spent two years at Triad Studios before moving to New York City in 1929. taking classes at the National Academy of Design. During this time, he contributed to various magazines, notably Life, & Judge.
Following the suggestion of cartoonist Russell Patterson to focus on good girl art, Campbell created his "Harem Girls", a series of watercolor cartoons that attracted attention in the first issue of Esquire, debuting in 1933. Campbell's artwork was in almost every issue of Esquire from 1933 to 1958 & he was the creator of its continuing mascot, the cartoon character in a silk top hat.
He also contributed to The Chicagoan, Cosmopolitan, Ebony, The New Yorker, Playboy, Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, Pictorial Review, and Redbook.
His commercial artwork for advertising included illustrations for Barbasol, Springmaid,Hart Schaffner & Marx.
Campbell also was the author of a chapter on blues music in the 1939 book Jazzmen, a seminal study of jazz's history and development.
Campbell died in White Plains, New York, in 1971
His gag panel, Cuties, was syndicated by King Features in more than 145 newspapers "A Night-Club Map of 1930s Harlem"
Of enduring cultural & historical interest is the witty, cartoon-filled map Campbell drew in 1932 – "A Night-Club Map of 1930s Harlem" identifying the attractions of Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance and adding his personal notes. He captures the intensity of the scene: within a few blocks of each other he has cartooned Cab Calloway singing at the Cotton Club, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson doing his step dance at the Lafayette Theater – "Friday night is the Midnight show, Most Negro revues begin and end here." Lissome "cafe au lait girls" dance at Small's Paradise. Outside, doormen welcome White swells in top hats, while an elegant Black couple in evening dress dance "the Bump"
Campbell's map appears in the book version of Ken Burns's documentary Jazz. The map in its entirety also appears as the inside front cover of "Of Minnie the Moocher and Me", the autobiography of Cab Calloway by Cab Calloway and Bryant Rollins (TY Crowell, 1976). Jazz historian Mike Thibault reports that the original was displayed by the Smithsonian in 1996.The map is currently held at the Yale Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
On April 4, 2017, National Geographic published an article on the map that included the map and several enlarged sections of it. They featured it again during 2020 to subscribers of their newsletter, among a collection of unique maps of New York City.
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Artist: E. Simms Campbell
My Husbands Former Girl Friends - First Black Illustrator/ Black Cartoonist
By E. Simms Campbell
Located in Miami, FL
Cuties Cartoon Strip - E. Simms Campbell
My Husband Former Girl Friends - First Black Illustrator/ Cartoonist,
Category
1940s Contemporary E. Simms Campbell Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Ink, Board
Santa Claus Sexy Playboy Cartoon First African American Illustrator, Elmer Simms
By E. Simms Campbell
Located in Miami, FL
Santa has a quickie with Mom.
Elmer Simms Campbell was the first African American Illustrator to work for major newsstand magazines.
Published December, 1963
Signed in pencil lower...
Category
1960s Realist E. Simms Campbell Portrait Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Watercolor, Illustration Board, Pencil
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E. Simms Campbell portrait drawings and watercolors for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic E. Simms Campbell portrait drawings and watercolors available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by E. Simms Campbell in board, ink, casein paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 1940s and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large E. Simms Campbell portrait drawings and watercolors, so small editions measuring 9 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Darius Steward, Linda Newman Boughton, and David Becker. E. Simms Campbell portrait drawings and watercolors prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $7,000 and tops out at $7,000, while the average work can sell for $7,000.