5031

George McManus - Spareribs and Gravy Sunday Comic Strip Original Art (circa 1907).

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Comics Start Price:1.00 USD Estimated At:1.00 - 1,000,000.00 USD
George McManus - Spareribs and Gravy Sunday Comic Strip Original Art (circa 1907).
<B>George McManus - Spareribs and Gravy Sunday Comic Strip Original Art (circa 1907).</B></I> This George McManus "Black Americana" strip reflects the leeway cartoonists of the early 20th Century had in creating strips depicting racial stereotypes, and it is quite collectible. The gag is built around a "watermelon joke": our dubious heroes find the fruit while in Africa and consume it, only to learn it was "poisoned" by the naive natives as lion bait! Of course, what was thought to be poison was really alcohol (missionaries had warned the natives, describing the bottle of booze as "poison", a term they took literally), and merry mix-ups ensue! McManus was born in 1884. He created a number of features before developing his popular hit, <I>Bringing Up Father</B></I>, like <I>Their Only Child</B></I>, <I>Nibsey the Newsboy</B></I>, and this short-lived strip. <I>Spareribs and Gravy</B></I> represented a peak of inking style that would guarantee him work for the rest of his life. This page's image area measures approximately 17.5" x 18"; the art is in Excellent condition. <BR><BR><B>Important notice:</B> Heritage usually auctions material at the rate of 200-250 lots per hour. On some occasions eBay Live bid software or the Internet may not be able to keep up with the pace of the auction. We recommend placing a realistic absentee bid now as insurance to avoid disappointment. Occasionally the auctioneer may eliminate or reject an eBay Live bid, and the auctioneer may also reopen a lot after the close of the eBay live bidding (usually because we missed an audience bid), and may reject your bid even if it shows you as the winning bidder. By bidding via eBay Live, you agree that Heritage may award the lot to another bidder at its sole discretion under the circumstances described above or any other reasonable circumstances. Since eBay bids are not shown to us until we open the lot on the floor, we treat those bids just like floor bids. In most cases the floor responds before the eBay bid is presented to us, due to Internet lag time, so for consistency we have made it a policy that floor bids are always considered first over tie eBay live bids. Also please note that all Heritage lots purchased through eBay Live carry a 20% Buyer's Premium. Please make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before you bid.