T. E. Powers (American, 1870-1939) Pretty Soft f

T. E. Powers (American, 1870-1939) Pretty Soft for the Star Boarders, Some Feller! Putting Over Some Fast Ones, and The Nut Club, Pretty Soft For The Tax-Exempt Anglers, The New York Journal newspaper cartoons (three works), 1937 India ink on heavyweight paper 10-3/4 x 11-1/2 inches (27.3 x 29.2 cm) (Pretty Soft, image) Each signed lower right: T E Powers Thomas E. Powers was an early newspaper cartoon and comic artist and the first American known to have a cartoon published in color. He worked at the Chicago Herald in the early 1890s and by mid-decade had found a place in New York with the New York Evening Journal of newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst. His comic strip creations included Our Moving Pictures, Mike and Mike, and Mr. Nobody Home. Powers' cartoons were enormously popular and admired by Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge. Powers regularly pilloried the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal. His work appeared in newspapers across the United States, and the Hearst organization remained his home for forty years until his retirement in 1937. These three originals on the same theme were published in April and May, 1937. They feature Uncle Sam, who is in support of the "Reckless Spending," "Tax Exempt Gov't Office Holders" and their "fat salaries," and making the average "Tax Payer" foot the bill. Following implementation of the Federal income tax the situation developed in which state and local government employees were exempt from Federal tax under a doctrine of intergovernmental tax immunity. The Nut Club appeared in newspapers in mid- to late-April. "At the Government Boarding House" the "Star Boarders," tax exempt government employees, await their chicken dinner, brought to the table by "the waiter" who "pays the check" and "does all the work and pays all the bills." Uncle Sam punches his income tax receipt. (Image size: 10.75" x 11.25") The baseball-themed cartoon Some Feller! was published in late April. The portly pitcher is the embodiment of "Our Law Makers" and their "reckless spending" who pelt the batter, the "Tax Payer" with "tax" beanballs. The "Tax Exempt Gov't Office Holders" and even a smallish Uncle Sam (labeled "Little Mandate") enjoy the mismatch. Businessmen exit in droves. (Image size: 10.75" x 11.25") Pretty Soft was published in May and features Uncle Sam is the game warden who orders the "Tax Payer" to toss his "income" fish back into the "Income Tax Brook" in which those same "Gov't Exempt Employees" reel in a bountiful catch. Quantity: (3) HID03101062020 © 2026 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice

Condition
Light toning to each sheet. A few light scattered stains, surface dirt, and smudges to each. Minor loss at upper right corner. Each not framed. Each sheet overall: 11.25 x 14.5 inches to 11.5 x 14.5 inches
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