Otto Soglow
Encyclopedia
Otto Soglow was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip
The Little King
.
Born in Yorkville, Manhattan
, Soglow grew up in New York City
, where he held various jobs as a teenager and made an unsuccessful effort to become an actor. His first job was painting designs on baby rattles. While studying with John Sloan
at the Art Students League of New York
, his first cartoon was printed in 1919. Throughout the 1920s, his drawings were seen in numerous magazines.
Soglow's artwork was published in the New York World
, Collier's
, The New Yorker
, Judge and Life
. He illustrated more than 35 books, and did five books of his own, including Wasn't the Depression Terrible? (1934).
lured Soglow away for his King Features Syndicate
, but contractual obligations to The New Yorker prevented The Little King from appearing immediately. Soglow then produced a knock-off strip called The Ambassador
from 1933 to 1934. After The Little King debuted on September 9, 1934, it ran until Soglow's death in 1975. It is still available today through King Features' email service, DailyINK.
and served as president for the 1953-54 term.
He died in New York City in 1975. Otto and Annie Soglow had one daughter, Tona.
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....
The Little King
The Little King
The Little King was a comic strip created by Otto Soglow, famously telling its stories in a style using images and very few words, as in pantomime.-Publication history:...
.
Born in Yorkville, Manhattan
Yorkville, Manhattan
Yorkville is a neighborhood in the greater Upper East Side, in the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. Yorkville's boundaries include: the East River on the east, 96th Street on the north, Third Avenue on the west and 72nd Street to the south. However, its southern boundary is a subject of...
, Soglow grew up in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he held various jobs as a teenager and made an unsuccessful effort to become an actor. His first job was painting designs on baby rattles. While studying with John Sloan
John French Sloan
John French Sloan was an American artist. As a member of The Eight, he became a leading figure in the Ashcan School of realist artists. He was known for his urban genre painting and ability to capture the essence of neighborhood life in New York City, often through his window...
at the Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
, his first cartoon was printed in 1919. Throughout the 1920s, his drawings were seen in numerous magazines.
Soglow's artwork was published in 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...
, Collier's
Collier's Weekly
Collier's Weekly was an American magazine founded by Peter Fenelon Collier and published from 1888 to 1957. With the passage of decades, the title was shortened to Collier's....
, The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Judge and Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
. He illustrated more than 35 books, and did five books of his own, including Wasn't the Depression Terrible? (1934).
The Little King
His character The Little King first appeared in The New Yorker in 1931. William Randolph HearstWilliam Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
lured Soglow away for his King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...
, but contractual obligations to The New Yorker prevented The Little King from appearing immediately. Soglow then produced a knock-off strip called The Ambassador
The Ambassador (comic strip)
The Ambassador is a short-lived newspaper comic strip created by Otto Soglow in 1933.In 1931, Soglow introduced his Little King character in The New Yorker. William Randolph Hearst was determined to see The Little King syndicated by his own King Features Syndicate, but contractual obligations...
from 1933 to 1934. After The Little King debuted on September 9, 1934, it ran until Soglow's death in 1975. It is still available today through King Features' email service, DailyINK.
National Cartoonists Society
In 1941, Soglow lived at 330 West 72nd Street in Manhattan. He was a co-founder of the National Cartoonists SocietyNational Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
and served as president for the 1953-54 term.
He died in New York City in 1975. Otto and Annie Soglow had one daughter, Tona.
