J. S. PUGHE (1870-1909) "The Rural Genius." Sequence of 2 cartoon panels published in the Setpember 8, 1901 issue of Puck Magazine. Pen and ink on board. Approx. 9 x 11 3/4 inches each. Unsigned.
This is a scarce lot of two original panels from a sequence by noted cartoonist J.S. Pughe, which were used in a cartoon published in the September 18th, 1901 issue of Puck Magazine. The cartoon is titled "The Rural Genius Who Didn't Cry Over Spilled Milk," and entirely through visual storytelling, depicts a farmer who attempts to milk his cow and gets kicked, then decides to milk it from the other side of a fence.
It is highly unusual for panels from cartoon sequences of this vintage to remain together, and few are ever publication-matched.
The New York City-based Puck magazine was a major force in American satire in the late 19th and early 20th century, employing many notable cartoonists and pioneering comic strip artists; they arguably paved the way for many other satirical publications to come.
