Original Comic Strip Art Winnie Winkle Martin Branner Chicago Tribune 1950

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Original Comic Strip Art Winnie Winkle Martin Branner Chicago Tribune 1950:
$199.95

You are offerding on Original Comic Strip Art of Winnie Winkle for the Sept. 25th, 1950 edition of the Chicago Tribune. This is the original artwork that the strip in the paper was made from. The title of the strip is, \"Her Wandering Mind,\" by Martin Branner. This is an original pen and ink drawing. It measures 23\" long x 7\" wide. It is on what appears to be poster board. It is in really excellent condition. Please see all of the pics included and see Martin Branner\'s biography below. I pulled this biography from Wikipedia.Biography[edit]

Branner was born inManhattan, New York Cityon December 28, 1888. He was a twin and one of nine children of Bernard Brenner, a Jewish immigrant lacemaker.

Vaudeville[edit]

In 1905, Martin Branner was an assistant to two men who bookedvaudevilleacts. He was a dancer who met Edith Fabbrini (1892–1966) when he was 18 and she was 15.[2]They married a few days after they met, and the couple then entered vaudeville as a dance team. Billed asMartin and Fabbrini,they spent 15 years performing in stock, musical comedy and vaudeville on theKeith OrpheumandPantagescircuits. In Manhattan, Martin and Fabbrini played the Palace Theater the second week it opened, and they often made return engagements.[3]

Some of Branner\'s earliest artwork was published during this period when he did advertising illustrations forVariety. Two shows a day sometimes increased to three and more shows daily, but bookings for the dance team became fewer during and followingWorld War I.

World War I and a career transition[edit]

Branner served hisWorld War Imilitary duty with theChemical Warfare Serviceof the U.S. Army.

On his return after World War I, he left vaudeville and launched a new career as a cartoonist in 1919, beginning with a short-lived strip,Looie the Lawyer, for theBell Syndicate. He followed with aSunday page,Pete and Pinto, which ran for 20 weeks in theNew York HeraldandThe Sun.

Winniebegins[edit]Martin Branner\'sWinnie Winkle(March 6, 1927)

Branner launchedWinnie Winkle the Breadwinneras adaily stripin September 1920, followed by a Sunday page in 1923. Edith Branner served as the model for the character of Winnie Winkle.

Branner\'s 1934 to 1936 assistant was the French cartoonistRobert Velter.

By 1939,Winnie Winkle the Breadwinnerwas printed in 125 newspapers in America and Europe for a combined circulation of more than eight and a half million. The title was shortened toWinnie Winklein 1943. After Velter, Branner\'s long-time assistant was Max Van Bibber, who took overWinnie Winkleafter Branner suffered a stroke in 1962.[1]Following the stroke, Branner began to use a wheelchair. Without the use of his right hand, he continued to draw with his left.

Death[edit]

Martin Branner died at age 81 on May 19, 1970, at the Nutmeg Pavilion Convalescent Home inNew London, Connecticut.[1]

Personal life[edit]

Branner was a noted wit and drew on his vaudeville background for some gags appearing in his cartoons.

After they retired their dance act, the Branners became the parents of Bernard Donald Branner and the art historianRobert Branner. Martin Branner converted toRoman Catholicismshortly after leaving the stage.

Martin and Edith Branner lived at 27 Riverside Drive inWaterford, Connecticut, and they were the designers of Waterford\'s townseal. During their many visits toManhattan, New York City, the Branners enjoyed living in hotels; they were frequent guests at theIroquois Hotel, which Branner called \"the poor man\'sAlgonquin.\" The Branner family usually spent summers boating and swimming in Connecticut.

In 1957, Branner was a guest challenger on the television panel showTo Tell the Truth.

Awards[edit]

Branner wrote and drewWinnie Winklefrom 1920 to 1962, receiving theNational Cartoonists SocietyHumor Comic Strip Award in 1958.[4]

Books[edit]

Winnie Winkle and the Diamond Heirloomsby Branner and Helen Berke was a 248-page hardcover novel published byWhitmanin 1946.