Frederick Burr Opper (January 2, 1857 - August 27, 1937) is regarded as one of the pioneers of American newspaper comic strips, best known for his comic strip Happy Hooligan. His comic characters were featured in magazine gag cartoons, covers, political cartoons and comic strips for six decades.
Born to Austrian-American immigrants Lewis and Aurelia Burr Oppers in Madison, Ohio, Frederick was the eldest of three children. At the age of 14, he dropped out of public school to work as a printer's apprentice at the local Madison Gazette, and at 16, he moved to New York City where he worked in a store and continued to draw. He studied briefly at Cooper Union, followed by a short stint as pupil and assistant to illustrator Frank Beard.[1]
Opper's first cartoon was published in Wild Oats in 1876, followed by cartoons and illustrations in Scribner’s Monthly and St. Nicholas Magazine. He worked as illustrator at Frank Leslie's Weekly from 1877 to 1880. Opper was then hired to draw for Puck by publishers Joseph Keppler and Adolph Schwarzmann. He stayed with Puck for 18 years, drawing everything from spot illustrations to chromolithograph covers.[2]
Opper married Nellie Barnett on May 18, 1881. They had two children, Lawrence and Sophia.
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Happy Hooligan arrives
In 1899, Opper accepted an offer by William Randolph Hearst for a position with the New York Journal. His comic strip Happy Hooligan first appeared on March 11, 1900 and ran until August 14, 1932. Hooligan was a tramp with a little tin can hat whose gentle simplicity and bumbling good nature made him a success. Opper's other popular strips were Alphonse and Gaston, And Her Name Was Maud, Howsan Lott and Our Antediluvian Ancestors.
Political cartoons
Opper drew influential political cartoons supporting Hearst's campaign against the "trusts" with characters "Willie and Teddy" (depicting William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt), "Willie and his Papa" (satirizing McKinley and "Papa Trusts") and "Nursie" (a depiction of Cleveland industrialist Mark Hanna). Opper's other characters included Mr. Common Man (which is believed to be the origin of John Q. Public). His artwork appeared in Hearst's New York Journal, Boston American, Chicago Examiner, San Francisco Examiner and Los Angeles Examiner.
Books
Opper illustrated works for Edgar Wilson Nye, Mark Twain and Finley Peter Dunne, and he published his own books, including Puck's Opper Book (1888), The Folks in Funnyville (1900) and Happy Hooligan Home Again (1907).
Opper was a member of several New York clubs, and he painted as a hobby. Due to failing eyesight, Opper retired in 1934, and he died at home in New Rochelle, New York.
References
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Frederick Burr Opper |
- Biography, Newspaper Cartoon Artists, 1898-1909, Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library
- Brief biography, Britannica Student Encyclopedia
- Biographical essay on inspirational source, Graphic Witness
- Brief biography and comic collection, Newspaper Cartoon Artists, 1898-1909, Ohio State University Cartoon Research Library
- Biographical entry in the Lambiek Comiclopedia
- Comic collection, Pre-1893, Andy's Early Comics Archive
- Comic collection, The Happy Hooligan, 1905, Andy's Early Comics Archive
- Sample of Opper's comic strip Adolph from Hamburg
- Sample of Opper's comic strip Herr Professor Schuetzenfest
- Samples of various Opper comic strip, editorial and magazine work Page 1Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5
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