Thomas "Tad" Dorgan (1877-1929)

Thomas "Tad" Dorgan Outdoor Sports Daily Comic Strip Original Art dated 7-2-24 (International Feature Service/King Features 1924). Dorgan cites a hit song of 1924, "Jealous," in depicting a harmonizing quartet of baseball players who "oughtta quit singin' or playin' ball," as one character gripes. The foreground figures have plenty of sarcasm to dispense, including a snide reference to John McCormack, a celebrated Irish-tenor concertist of the period. (Never mind that Dorgan misspells the name as McCormick.) An incidental gag twists the popular term "the Gay White Way" (Broadway) into "The Gray White Way." The dependably impolite feature ran under alternating titles, sometimes as Indoor Sports and otherwise as Outdoor Sports. Dorgan's stick-figure signature appears at lower right. The date of this piece is documented at 7-2, with the year given as 1924 in a reverse note. Ink over graphite on Bristol board, with an image area of 12" x 8". Toning and wear commensurate with age. Edge erosion or chipping and some staining/smudging; intact, however, and as such in Very Good condition. HID09710052018 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved