Although
J.R. Williams died nearly 50 years ago, he inspired a whole
generation of cartoonists who followed him, including Charles
Schulz of Peanuts fame.
Classic Cowboy Cartoons
Volume 1 and 2
Charles
Schulz the cartoonist of Charley Brown and his Peanuts pals,
related how J.R. Williams inspired him, "I worked once
at Northwest Printing as a delivery boy and one day I drew
a picture of the man who worked the big cutting machine
and how proud he was when he got a new board to stand on.
I was inspired, of course, by J.R. Williams and that type
of down-home humor."
That
down-home humor is reflected in all volume's of William's
Cowboy Cartoons. Today, that ranch lifestyle is all but
gone, but anyone that has ever lived in a bunkhouse or even
modern crew quarters (where you actually have some semblance
of privacy, as opposed to a bunkhouse), J.R.'s gentle, homespun
humor brings memories flooding back. Far from the social
correctness of today's world, bunkhouse life was filled
with practical jokes and the compromises of living, literally,
on top of each other. Social life and work life were the
same and Williams records it well with his gentle sense
of humor.
Volume
2 has slightly more emphasis on dude-ranching and early
automobiles, providing a comic view of the changes that
took place in ranch life in the 1920s to 1930s.
Volume
1 has 152 pages and Volume 2 has 160.
Smyth-sewn soft-cover. 6" X 71/2"
Get
all 4 Classic Cowboy cartoons plus Cavalry cartoons
for $71.00 plus $20.00 for shipping.
Total = $91.00
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Now | Checkout
Classic
Cowboy Cartoons - The Characters of Walnut Creek
- by J.R. Williams
Many
of Williams' characters are based on men he cowboy'd
with in the early decades of the 20th century.
Classic
Cowboy Cartoons are the perfect gift for any cowboy
riding the range or the streets of a city.
About
J.R. Williams
Born in Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1888, James Robert
Williams moved to Detroit before he started school.
At age 16 he spent 6 years drifting around the
Oklahoma Territory, working as a cowboy on several
ranches, before spending 3 years in the U.S. Cavalry.
Williams started cartooning professionally in
1922, with the daily cartoon, "Out our Way".
At the peak of his career, his quaint ranch cartoons
were carried by some 700 newspapers. During his
lifetime he published in excess of 10,000 cartoons.
Volume
3 and 4
The
Cartoons in Volume 3 and 4 are some of Jim Williams earliest
published cartoon work. These classic cowboy cartoons are
J.R.'s first cowboy illustrations from the period of 1924-1926.
His are all one panel cartoons and are so rich in detail -
that they convincingly capture the moment of humor and good-natured
comradery that Williams is so noted for creating.
Volume
4 continues the early years of Williams cowboy cartoons and
is noteworthy because Curly begins his great novel - much
to the amusement of his pards. Volume
3 has 138 pages and Volume 4 has 136. Smyth-sewn soft-cover.
6" X 71/2"
Get
all 4 Classic Cowboy cartoons plus Cavalry cartoons
for $71.00 plus $20.00 for shipping.
Total = $91.00
| Order
Now | Checkout
U. S. Cavalry
Cartoons
U.S.
Cavalry Cartoons is a collection from the work of
one of the great cartoonists of the last century,
J.R. Williams. As with most of Williams' cartoons,
these reflect his own experience. He did a stint in
the U.S. Cavalry in the early 1900s and kept coming
back to this experience over the 35 years (1922 -
1957) that he drew Out Our Way, a cartoon that was
syndicated in some 700 newspapers. Cavalry
Cartoons is $15.95 plus $14.00
shipping TOTAL: $29.95
Order
either Vol 1 and 2 or Vol 3 and 4 of Classic Cowboy
Cartoons, together with Williams' Cavalry Cartoons
for $65.00 - includes $20.00 bucks for shipping in
North America.
Out
Our Way Sampler — from the 1920s, 30s
& 40s. - by J.R. Williams
For
over a third of a century J.R. Williams was
the most popular cartoonist in North America.
While most of the other cartoons of the era
had a primary character, his daily panel, Out
Our Way, was based on the trials and tribulations
of the working class in general. It has become
a record of the evolving urban lifestyle of
families between the two world wars. Unlike
most modern cartoons, Williams' work was always
rich in detail, creating much of his humor with
facial expressions and background detail.
The
humor was both gentle and insightful as it mirrored
the lives of his readers. This sampler spans
several decades of his work when Out Our Way
was a syndicated feature in over 700 newspapers.
Smyth-sewn
softcover, 8" x 8", 396 pages.
Price:
$29.95 | Shipping: $20.00 | Total: $49.95 USD
| Order
Now | Checkout
Custom
Cowboy Hats from The Last Best West
In today's world of depleting Ozone and
the rise of melanoma and skin cancer -
everyone needs a good hat to shield their
face and neck from the harmful effects
of the sun. What could be more timeless
and useful than a fine fur-felt Cowboy
Hat? It will keep your face and neck in
constant shade - regardless of the position
of the sun, and your eyes and lips will
say thankee-thankee. It'll be your friend
for life and will age just as gracefully
as you!
We'll
give you what you want.
Made
to your Specifications. If you don't see
what you want - send us a picture - and
we'll make our version of that hat.
Old
Fashion Quality
You won't find these western
hats at your nearest mall. Many of the
brim shapes or crowns may look familiar,
may even be the same, but they are poor
imitations, cookie-cutter designs; mass
produced and available virtually anywhere.
Don't follow the herd - strike out on
your own with a classic custom western
hat from The Last Best West.
The
Last Best West has teamed up with a well-known
local commercial artist to offer custom Old West
Caricatures! You supply us with a smiling photo
of the subject(s), the text and we'll do
up a custom caricature wanted poster for you.
A perfect gift for Birthdays, Valentines, Mother's
Day, Father's Day, and dang near any other occasion!
Go to our Custom Caricatures page for all the
details. Click Here
About
The Artist
Mark Cromwell is well known around Calgary for
his humorous and light-hearted old west Caricatures.
For 15 years Mark has entertained at many Corporate
functions and special events around the City.
With Sharpie and paper in hand he's a staple at
many Calgary Stampede events, from Media Mixers
to Volunteer Events.
