E. Simms Campbell: The “Jackie Robinson” of Commercial Art and Cartooning

In the mid-1930s, E. Simms Campbell’s “Harlem Sketches” was a regular feature in the Amsterdam News. He was soon hired by the men’s magazine Esquire, where his racial identity was largely kept a secret from the publication’s predominantly white audience. Campbell is famous for creating the magazine’s “Esky” logo, and for his “good girl” cartoons featuring attractive young woman, usually in skimpy or form-fitting clothing. He is generally credited as the first African-American cartoonist to be published and syndicated in nationally distributed mainstream magazines.

From the Collection

• E. Simms Campbell
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• E. Simms Campbell
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• Cartoons/Graphic Novels • E. Simms Campbell

$500

• E. Simms Campbell
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• E. Simms Campbell
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