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Wallace G. Mathis Cartoon Collection

Title

Wallace G. Mathis Cartoon Collection

Subject

Depressions -- 1929 -- United States
Cartoonists -- Kentucky -- Louisville

Description

Cartoonist Wallace Mathis was born in 1904 in Collierville, Tennessee. During his college years, he drew cartoons for Vanderbilt University’s humor magazine and yearbook. Although he pursued a career as a teacher at Louisville’s Rugby University School, his interest in drawing persisted. In 1933, he began publishing daily cartoons in Louisville’s Courier-Journal newspaper. The decade following the Stock Market Crash of 1929 was a time of economic stagnation and social turmoil. Mathis’s cartoons were created during this period and capture the spirit of Americans during the Great Depression. His single-panel cartoons depicted a character named “Rollin’ Stone,” described as a “philosophical tramp who commented on small-town happenings.” Rollin’ Stone was a down-to-earth character who was down on his luck, not unlike many Americans of the time. Rollin’ Stone was a regular feature in the Courier-Journal until 1941. The Filson has over 1,000 of the original pen and ink cartoons.

Creator

Mathis, Wallace G.

Source

Mathis, Wallace G., 1904-1981. Cartoons, 1933-1941

Date

ca. 1933-1941

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.

Format

cartoons (humorous images)

Type

Still Image

Identifier

Mss. A M431

Collection Items

  • In Germany, the Great Depression contributed to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Unemployment dropped rapidly in the United States after 1939, when factories started ramping up production of munitions and armaments. The depression had ended by 1941 when the U.S. entered World War II. The world has yet to experience another depression as devastating.

  • Rollin' Stone does not have the newest or most fashionable attire, but he's still smiling.

  • Rollin' Stone commented on changing standards of acceptable dress for women in the 1930s. One suspects that clothing which drew the ire of traditionalists in the 1930s would be quite modest by today's standards.

  • Each day, Mathis created a cartoon in honor of the Kentucky Derby. This cartoon, drawn in 1938, celebrated the 64th Kentucky Derby.

  • This cartoon most likely refers to the 1937 flood, which inundated Louisville and surrounding areas along the Ohio River.

  • Rollin' Stone's colloquial way of speaking further emphasizes his disregard for the pretensions of others.

  • A down-to-earth character, Rollin' Stone is not impressed by family lineages.

  • Miss Elvira is another member of the gossip circle in Rollin' Stone's town.

  • Gossip is a favorite pastime of the inhabitants of Rollin' Stone's small town. Miss Gabby is one of the cartoon's recurring characters.

  • The interactions between couples, especially husbands and wives, are a frequent source of humor in the Rollin' Stone comic.

  • The introduction of new technologies continued to transform society. Automobiles became affordable for middle class Americans with the introduction of Henry Ford's Model T in 1908.

  • However, some had cause to celebrate. With the end of Prohibition in 1933, Americans could imbibe alcohol more openly.

  • Like many Americans, Rollin' Stone sometimes became frustrated and angry with the current state of the economy.

  • In the United States, approximately 25-30 percent of the workforce was unemployed in 1932.

  • During the Great Depression, food shortages were common. Many Americans relied on public assistance for their daily necessities.

  • The 1920s were a time of booming industry, wealth, and excess. With the Stock Market Crash of 1929, the United States experienced the most devastating depression in its history.