Classic Wodehouse Illustrations 16: Jeeves and the Boston Globe Mystery!

[wotwotleigh]

I am so excited! I found a treasure trove of historic newspapers with illustrated Jeeves and Bertie stories dating to the mid '20s and early '30s. A whole slew of these stories were published in the Boston Daily Globe in 1925, and again in its later incarnation, the Daily Boston Globe, between 1929 and 1932. Today, we're going to look at the latter

Comments

[drunken_kurage]

Oh wow, I love these! A shame there's no mention of who the artist is though.

[wotwotleigh]

I know, so frustrating! At least other artists who worked for the Globe thought to sign their work. I keep imagining that this illustrator was some kind of proud artiste who did newspaper illustrations on the side for extra income and did not want it to get out among his/her snobbish artsy friends -- like the guy in that one Reggie Pepper story.

[drunken_kurage]

Was gonna say, that sounds like something that would happen in the stories!

[haikitteh]

This is so cool, I really love seeing how artists of the time interpreted Jeeves - this is definitely one of the depictions that most fits in to my imagination of what Jeeves would look like. Bertie, too, but as you've noted, this Bertie is a little too idealistic to really feel like a specific character. He just looks like "normal bloke #1." Still, I forgive a lot for that Jeeves.

Now, on to the Monocle. Sorry, I will not accept that it is canon. Nope. I interpreted that passage to mean that the artist had ADDED a monocle, not that Bertie actually wore one. Just salt in the wound to his shocked discovery of his own face above Sloan Square (and yes, I agree with you, a little dig at all the artists who had added that damn monocle).

[wotwotleigh]

Haha, perhaps you're right. It's not even clear to me whether the monocle was supposed to have been part of the original portrait or something added by whoever adapted it for the advertisement. In any case, by the time this was written various illustrators had been drawing Bertie with a monocle for about 15 years, so I do think it's a reasonable guess that Wodehouse was referring to that in some way.

[chocolate_frapp]

I'm with you. monocles belong on that New Yorker guy and Mr. Peanut, not Bertie!
Little Lord Fauntleroy or Shirley Temple.
Maybe he couldn't draw swans? He does draw dogs well.

[wotwotleigh]

I can understand not being able to draw swans, but they could have done the part where Jeeves has already thrown the raincoat over it! I was going to blame it on an aversion to drawing action scenes, but they did a pretty good job with Mr. Slingsby falling over the golf ball.