C. W. Kahles
Encyclopedia
Charles William Kahles (January 12, 1878 - January 21, 1931) was a prolific cartoonist responsible for numerous comic strip
s, notably Hairbreadth Harry. He is credited as the pioneer of daily comic strip continuity with his Clarence the Cop, which he drew for the New York World
in the latter 1890s, introducing to newspapers the innovation of continuing a comic strip story in a day-to-day serial format.
The cartoonist and comics historian Ernest McGee called Kahles the "hardest working cartoonist in history, having as many as eight Sunday comics running at one time (1905-06) with no assistants to help him." Between 1898 and 1931, Kahles drew a total of 25 comic strips, in addition to paintings, book illustrations and advertisements. At the same time he was contributing single-panel cartoons to Life, Judge, Puck, Browning's Magazine and the Pleiades Club Year Book.
, Germany
, Kahles arrived in America at the age of seven. His family settled in Brooklyn, New York, living in the Windsor Terrace
neighborhood, then a semi-rural area. Young Charles Kahles grew up in Brooklyn, where he lived for many years. With plans to become a painter, he studied art at Pratt Institute
and also attended the Brooklyn Art School. His first art job was in the stained glass shop of Joseph Hausleiter in Brooklyn, working alongside his brother Fred. At the age of 16, he went to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where he became the staff artist on the newspaper Grit
, followed by a short spell as a staff artist at the New York Recorder. In 1897-98, he drew assignments for the New York Journal
, where he also contributed cartoons. In 1898, he was hired as a news illustrator by the New York World
, where he also drew such comics as The Little Red Schoolhouse, Butch the Butcher's Boy, The Perils of Submarine Boating, Clumsy Claude, Optimistic Oswald and The Kelly Kids. In 1902, Clarence the Cop was the first police strip, and his Sandy Highflyer, the Airship Man (1902–04), was the first aviation comic strip. Foolish Fred ran from September 25 to December 11, 1904.
In 1924, Kahles gave an interview to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in which he stated that he had seven weekly strips running simultaneously when he was 27 and 28. The strips he introduced in 1905 were Billy Brag, Billy Bounce, Pretending Percy, The Teasers, Mr. Buttin, Terrible Twins, Doubting Thomas and Fun in the Zoo. The following year, he added several new strips to the original group: Our Hero's Hairbreadth Escapes, The Funny Side Gang, The Merry Nobles Three—They Can Never Agree.
’s Desperate Desmond and Dauntless Durham of the U. S. A. and Ed Wheelan’s Midget Movies.
In 1931, at the age of 53, he died of angina pectoris at his home in Great Neck, Long Island
where he had lived for 13 years. He was survived by his widow Helen and daughter Jessie.
After Kahles' death, his strip was continued by F. O. Alexander for another eight years.
. Before her 1955 marriage, she was a secretary to the Department of Architecture at the Museum of Modern Art
and an associate editor of Interiors magazine. She also did shorter biographical sketches in 1969 and 1975, followed by "More on C. W. Kahles" for Cartoonews no. 15 (1977).
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s, notably Hairbreadth Harry. He is credited as the pioneer of daily comic strip continuity with his Clarence the Cop, which he drew for the New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
in the latter 1890s, introducing to newspapers the innovation of continuing a comic strip story in a day-to-day serial format.
The cartoonist and comics historian Ernest McGee called Kahles the "hardest working cartoonist in history, having as many as eight Sunday comics running at one time (1905-06) with no assistants to help him." Between 1898 and 1931, Kahles drew a total of 25 comic strips, in addition to paintings, book illustrations and advertisements. At the same time he was contributing single-panel cartoons to Life, Judge, Puck, Browning's Magazine and the Pleiades Club Year Book.
Comic strips
Born in Lengfurt, BavariaBavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Kahles arrived in America at the age of seven. His family settled in Brooklyn, New York, living in the Windsor Terrace
Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn
Windsor Terrace is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bounded by Prospect Park to the northeast and Green-Wood Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark, to the southwest. Its southeastern boundary is Caton Avenue, while to the northwest it is bordered by Prospect Park West...
neighborhood, then a semi-rural area. Young Charles Kahles grew up in Brooklyn, where he lived for many years. With plans to become a painter, he studied art at Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
and also attended the Brooklyn Art School. His first art job was in the stained glass shop of Joseph Hausleiter in Brooklyn, working alongside his brother Fred. At the age of 16, he went to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where he became the staff artist on the newspaper Grit
Grit (newspaper)
Grit is a magazine, formerly a weekly newspaper, popular in rural areas throughout the United States during much of the 20th century. It carried the subtitle America's Greatest Family Newspaper. In the early 1930s, it targeted small town and rural families with 14 pages plus a fiction supplement...
, followed by a short spell as a staff artist at the New York Recorder. In 1897-98, he drew assignments for the New York Journal
New York Journal American
The New York Journal American was a newspaper published from 1937 to 1966. The Journal American was the product of a merger between two New York newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst: The New York American , a morning paper, and the New York Evening Journal, an afternoon paper...
, where he also contributed cartoons. In 1898, he was hired as a news illustrator by the New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
, where he also drew such comics as The Little Red Schoolhouse, Butch the Butcher's Boy, The Perils of Submarine Boating, Clumsy Claude, Optimistic Oswald and The Kelly Kids. In 1902, Clarence the Cop was the first police strip, and his Sandy Highflyer, the Airship Man (1902–04), was the first aviation comic strip. Foolish Fred ran from September 25 to December 11, 1904.
In 1924, Kahles gave an interview to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in which he stated that he had seven weekly strips running simultaneously when he was 27 and 28. The strips he introduced in 1905 were Billy Brag, Billy Bounce, Pretending Percy, The Teasers, Mr. Buttin, Terrible Twins, Doubting Thomas and Fun in the Zoo. The following year, he added several new strips to the original group: Our Hero's Hairbreadth Escapes, The Funny Side Gang, The Merry Nobles Three—They Can Never Agree.
Hairbreadth Harry
His best known creation, Our Hero's Hairbreadth Escapes, was later retitled Hairbreadth Harry, the Boy Hero and eventually just Hairbreadth Harry. It depicted Harry's many attempts to rescue Beautiful Belinda from the villainous Relentless Rudolph. In order to concentrate on Hairbreadth Harry, he dropped the other strips by 1923.Influence
Kahles was an influence on several cartoonists and strips, including Harry HershfieldHarry Hershfield
Harry Hershfield was an American comic artist, humor writer and radio personality. A columnist once labeled him "the Jewish Will Rogers".Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Hershfield was the son of Jewish immigrants...
’s Desperate Desmond and Dauntless Durham of the U. S. A. and Ed Wheelan’s Midget Movies.
In 1931, at the age of 53, he died of angina pectoris at his home in Great Neck, Long Island
Great Neck, New York
The term Great Neck is commonly applied to a peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island, which includes the village of Great Neck, the village of Great Neck Estates, the village of Great Neck Plaza, and others, as well as an area south of the peninsula near Lake Success and the border of Queens...
where he had lived for 13 years. He was survived by his widow Helen and daughter Jessie.
After Kahles' death, his strip was continued by F. O. Alexander for another eight years.
Biography
Curses! Foiled Again! is an unpublished biography of Kahles by his daughter, Jessie Phelps Kahles Straut (September 22, 1911-November 23, 1998), of Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. Before her 1955 marriage, she was a secretary to the Department of Architecture at the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
and an associate editor of Interiors magazine. She also did shorter biographical sketches in 1969 and 1975, followed by "More on C. W. Kahles" for Cartoonews no. 15 (1977).