We preserve and share the work of cartoonists George and Virginia Smith.

The Smith Family Comic Archive Project is a 501(c)(3) public charity. We collect, preserve, and make accessible the original artwork, magazine roughs, and syndicated strips of The Smith Family, which George and Virginia Smith created from 1950 to 1997. The archive supports research, teaching, and public appreciation of mid-century American cartoon art.

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Tuesday, August 27, 2024

Monday, August 26, 2024

The mud loves me! What's wrong with being a part of nature?

I walk through the muddy field- listening to the birds- watching the drifting clouds-and the falling petals. Wondering until I'm exhausted. I lay down- and the mud enfolds me as if it wants to keep me there. The mud loves me! What's wrong with being a part of nature?





 





Sunday, August 18, 2024

Seven daughters and a baby brother keep George Smith busy

Ellen -Virginia - Katherine - Lorraine - Carol Ann - Patricia - Christine - and a baby brother keep the pen of artist George Smith busy.





Because Smith had just left art school and started a career as a cartoonist, it seemed quite logical that the Army classified him as a draftsman when he enlisted. But when he sent in a diagram of lubrication points on a G.I. truck, everyone thought it was funny. He became chief artist of the 58th Signal Battalion with a studio on half the islands in the Pacific.


Among other things, he drew a cartoon a day, caricaturing anyone who was vulnerable, all this with the commander's backing.


After the Army, Smith went back to cartooning and raising a family and reports that both are coming along fine. He sold his first cartoon to the Saturday Evening Post and has been a fairly regular contributor ever since.


Family-wise, his seven daughters and son speak for themselves and probably earn their support by providing ideas.


Getting ideas is the real mystery of cartooning, Mr. Smith says he enjoys drawing; however, he explains working conditions haven't changed much since the Army days. I'm still involved in a war, he says. I share a kitchen where I work with my wife and daughters. It's like holding a track meet in a submarine.

GEORGE SMITH. American Legion Magazine November 1950.

 


Friday, August 16, 2024

Thursday, August 15, 2024