E. Simms Campbell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids E. Simms Campbell |
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| Born | Elmer Simms Campbell January 2, 1906 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 27, 1971 (aged 65) White Plains, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist |
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Notable works
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Cuties |
Elmer Simms Campbell (born January 2, 1906 – died January 27, 1971) was a famous American artist. He was best known as a cartoonist who signed his drawings "E. Simms Campbell." He was the first African-American cartoonist to have his work published in popular national magazines. He also created Esky, the well-known mascot for Esquire magazine.
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Early Life and Learning
Elmer Simms Campbell was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents, Elizabeth Simms Campbell and Elmer Campbell, were both teachers. His father was an assistant principal at Summer High School and a sports star at Howard University. Sadly, his father passed away when Elmer was only four years old.
Later, Elmer and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. His mother attended the University of Chicago there. Elmer graduated from Englewood Technical Prep Academy in Chicago. At high school, he was the cartoonist for the weekly newspaper. After high school, he studied at the University of Chicago for a year. Then, he transferred to the Art Institute of Chicago and earned his degree.
Becoming a Professional Artist
Elmer Simms Campbell once worked as a waiter on a train. Sometimes, he would draw funny pictures of the passengers. One passenger was very impressed by his talent. This person offered him a job at Triad Studios, an art studio in St. Louis.
He worked at Triad Studios for two years. In 1929, he moved to New York City. About a month later, he found a job at a small advertising company called Munig Studios. He also started taking classes at the National Academy of Design. During this time, he drew for different magazines, including Life and Judge.
A cartoonist named Russell Patterson suggested that Campbell focus on drawing "good girl art." So, Campbell created his "Harem Girls" series. These were watercolor cartoons that became very popular in the first issue of Esquire magazine in 1933. Campbell's artwork appeared in almost every issue of Esquire from 1933 to 1958. He also created the magazine's famous mascot, a cartoon character wearing a silk top hat.
Campbell also created commercial artwork for advertisements. He drew illustrations for companies like Barbasol, Springmaid, and Hart Schaffner & Marx.
He even wrote a chapter about blues music in a 1939 book called Jazzmen. This book was very important for understanding the history of jazz music.
Elmer Simms Campbell passed away in White Plains, New York, in 1971.
Cuties and Other Works
Campbell's funny cartoon panel, Cuties, was shared with over 145 newspapers by King Features Syndicate. Later, these cartoons were collected and published in a paperback book by Avon.
Harlem Night-Club Map
One of Campbell's most famous and interesting works is a map he drew in 1932. It was called "A Night-Club Map of 1930s Harlem." This witty map was filled with cartoons. It showed all the exciting places in Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance. Campbell added his own personal notes to the map.
The map really showed how lively the scene was. Within just a few blocks, he drew famous performers. You could see Cab Calloway singing at the Cotton Club. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson was shown tap dancing at the Lafayette Theater. Campbell noted that "Friday night is the Midnight show, Most Negro revues begin and end here." He also drew "cafe au lait girls" dancing at Small's Paradise. Outside, doormen welcomed well-dressed White visitors. An elegant Black couple in evening clothes danced what might have been "the Bump."
Campbell's map is featured in the book version of Ken Burns's TV show Jazz. The entire map also appears inside the front cover of Cab Calloway's autobiography, "Of Minnie the Moocher and Me." A jazz historian named Mike Thibault said the original map was shown at the Smithsonian in 1996. Today, the map is kept at the Yale Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
On April 4, 2017, National Geographic published an article about the map. It included the full map and several zoomed-in sections. They featured it again in 2020 to their newsletter subscribers as part of a collection of unique maps of New York City.
Awards and Recognition
In 1940, Elmer Simms Campbell was honored at the American Negro Exposition in Chicago. He was featured in one of 33 special displays. In 2020, Campbell was added to the Eisner Award Hall of Fame. This is a very important award in the world of comics.
