The Filson Historical Society Digital Projects

Wyncie King Caricatures, ca. 1920

Title

Wyncie King Caricatures, ca. 1920

Subject

Caricature
King, Wyncie, 1884-1961

Description

Wyncie King was a noted caricaturist and political cartoonist of the early 20th century. Born in Covington, Georgia in 1884, King got his start in Louisville in 1910 where he worked as the feature cartoonist for the Louisville Herald. King gained national recognition for his work while in Louisville; he would later go on to work for the Philadelphia Public Ledger and as a contributing artist to the Saturday Evening Post. King remembered his time in Louisville fondly, and in his final years donated a portion of his drawings and personal papers to The Filson. Most notable among King’s drawings are eighty-one pen and ink sketches and watercolor caricatures, mostly of Kentuckians and visitors to Louisville. They were created between 1920 and 1921, during King’s final years in the city. “There were people of character and distinction in the community of that era,” King wrote to Filson Curator Dorothy Cullen in May 1958. “I savored the making of each drawing and remember many details of each.” The caricatures provide an unusual glimpse into the “life and likeness” of these historical figures that is hard to glean from books, documents, or even formal portraits. The development of King’s artistic style is documented by these caricatures drawn early in his career.

Creator

King, Wyncie

Source

Wyncie King Papers, The Filson Historical Society

Date

ca. 1920-1921

Rights

This image is issued by The Filson Historical Society. Property rights in the collection belong to The Filson Historical Society. The user is responsible for copyright issues. Permission for use of this image for ANY reason should be obtained by contacting Filson's Curator of Collections via research@filsonhistorical.org.

Relation

Mss. A K54a
Mss. A K54b

Format

Caricatures

Type

Still Image

Identifier

Mss. A K54

Collection Items

  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_envelope_web.jpg

    The package in which Wyncie King sent his caricatures to the Filson.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_young_allison_web.jpg

    Pen and ink sketch of Young E. Allison, author and newspaper editor. A prolific writer, Allison is remembered for his epic piratical poem "On Board the Derelict," an expansion of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest."
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_Bennett_Young_web.jpg

    Bennett H. Young, Confederate officer and prominent Louisville attorney. During the Civil War, Young led Confederate forces in a raid on St. Albans, Vermont.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_tolstoy_web.jpg

    Ilya Tolstoy was a writer and son of Leo Tolstoy. King sketched Tolstoy while he stayed in Louisville at the Watterson Hotel.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_Sidney_Bernheim_web.jpg

    Sidney Bernheim, a co-worker of Wyncie King, sold advertisements for the Louisville Herald. The sketch gives the impression that Bernheim was an unusually tall individual with poor posture.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_Patrick_OSullivan_web.jpg

    Patrick O'Sullivan, a gifted composer and pianist who hailed from Louisville, Kentucky. On the back of the drawing, King remarked that O'Sullivan was the "very essence of the Irish."
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_Otto_Rothert_web.jpg

    Otto Rothert, author and secretary of the Filson Club. In this caricature, King gave Rothert's features an effeminate cast. On the back of the drawing, he noted that Rothert was a good friend of Young E. Allison.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_lt_florent_web.jpg

    Lieutenant Adrien Florent was a member of the French Military Mission at Camp Zachary Taylor during World War I.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_James_D_Black_web.jpg

    James D. Black, former governor of Kentucky. King sketched most of his subjects from the shoulders up, but in this drawing we get the impression that Black was a short man with an eye for fashion.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_Harvey_Joiner_web.jpg

    Harvey Joiner was a landscape artist from Louisville known for his paintings of beech trees.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_Harriet_Monroe_web.jpg

    Harriet Monroe was the editor of Poetry magazine in Chicago, Illinois and played an important role in the development of modern poetry. King sketched Monroe when she visited Young E. Allison in Louisville.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_Francis_Marshall-Brig-Gen_web.jpg

    Brigadier General Francis Marshall commanded troops at Camp Zachary Taylor during World War I and was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Medal for his leadership during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He died in an airplane crash in 1922.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_Desha_Breckenridge_web.jpg

    Pencil and watercolor sketch of Desha Breckinridge, editor of the Lexington Herald from 1897 to 1935.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_Andrew_Leonard_web.jpg

    Pencil and watercolor sketch of Andrew G. Leonard, who was the steward of the Kentucky Jockey Club. Leonard holds a pair of binoculars in his hand.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/wyncie_king_Alvin_York_web.jpg

    Sergeant Alvin York, World War I hero and recipient of the Medal of Honor. King sketched him when he stayed at the Watterson Hotel in Louisville during his bridal trip. On the back of the drawing, King wrote that York was "a mild looking gent to be such a hero." Interestingly, York never wanted to fight in World War I; when filling out his draft card he tried to claim an exemption as a conscientious objector.
  • https://filsonhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/Wyncie-King_web.jpg

    Wyncie King, as drawn by a fellow caricaturist.