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Dec 26, 2024 Web Exclusive By John Paul Bullock

Eddie Campbell’s (From Hell) fascinating new book is the first substantial biography of early 20th century newspaper cartoonist, Kate Carew. It’s a remarkable story of reinvention, following Mary Williams (born in Oakland, California in 1869) as she moves from gigs illustrating Sunday color comics to creating a print version of herself with the pseudonym of “Kate Carew” by stylizing her image in “oversize spectacles and a big black hat.” Collaborating with Carew’s granddaughter, Christine Chambers, Campbell masterfully delivers a thoughtful, thoroughly-researched deep dive into the life and career of a groundbreaking yet overlooked artist who achieved brief international fame for her comics, big head caricatures, and delightful interviews with celebrities like Gertrude Stein, Mark Twain, Jack Johnson, Pablo Picasso, and the Wright Brothers.

“Ambrose Bierce said to me at the start, ‘Never come back to your editor empty handed.’ And I never did,” said Carew. And, from Campbell’s book, it’s clear that through ingenuity and perseverance Carew was able to work at the highest levels in her field in San Francisco, New York, London, and Paris. By the early 1920s, Carew had ceased drawing for publication and settled into a life of landscape and portrait painting until her death in 1961. Thankfully, Carew’s work has survived and, as collected here by Campbell and Chambers, obviously stands shoulder-to-shoulder with that of her male colleagues.

Kate Carew: America’s First Great Woman Cartoonist is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in the period. It’s also a powerful reminder of the thousands of intrepid journalists and artists of the past who once filled our newspapers with brilliant hand-drawn storytelling.

(https://www.fantagraphics.com/collections/new-releases/products/kate-carew-americas-first-great-woman-cartoonist)

Author rating: 9/10