E Simms Campbell E Simms Campbell

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E Simms Campbell
(1906 - 1971)

One of the first commercial black artists in US with a career that stretched from the early 1930s to the late 1960s. A cartoonist for his High School paper. Studied at Chicago Art Institute. Moved to New York, selling cartoons to the humor mags (Life, Judge, College Humor). Fellow artist, Russell Patterson, pointed out his own success with "good girl art" and impressed Campbell to follow. Campbell created the "Harem Girls," a hit from the very first issue of Esquire (1933). Campbell's watercolors were a key reason for Esquire's success and he turned out several paintings per issue, as well as ideas for other artists, article writing, and covers. Ads for Springmaid, Hart Schaffner and Marx, Barbasol. When Esquire abandoned illustration art, Campbell and several others moved to Playboy and helped make yet another magazine a success. Contributions to Cosmopolitan, New Yorker, Sunday Pictorial Review, Opportunity Journal Of Negro Life, Ebony. Two collections of WW2 cartoons: Cuties in Arms and More Cuties in Arms. He then had a long run with King Features.

Esquire, cover (1947) Campbell - 001A

Esquire, published cover (1947) Campbell - 002

Esquire, World's Fair gatefold (1939) Campbell - 003

King Features Cartoon (1968) Campbell - 004A

Barbasol (1942, 1946) Campbell - 005

Esquire, "Personally, I'm willing to close my eyes to Reverend Thornton's methods
-- after all, the basket fund has already doubled last year's record." (1939) Campbell - 006

Springmaid, "Caption this picture" (1956) Campbell - 007

Esquire, "What would you give me on a trade-in?" (1934) Campbell - 008

Esquire, "E Simms Campbell's Impressions of Haiti" (1936) Campbell - 009

Phantom Island, Sunday Newspaper Strip (19??) Campbell - 010A

Bisquick, "Lady, remember that Bisquick Waffles..." (1940) Campbell - 011

Esquire, "Oh Please, Miss Heller.
Tell About When You Were In The Navy" (1952) Campbell - 012

Playboy (1962) Campbell - 013

Esquire (1948) Campbell - 014

Hinds Cream (1937) Campbell - 015

Saturday Evening Post (1942) Campbell - 016

Esquire, "We're not offering enough, I guess." (1941) Campbell - 017

King Features Cartoon (1968) Campbell - 018A

Hart Shaffner and Marx (1937) Campbell - 019

Esquire, The Blues (1939) Campbell - 020

Barbasol (1943, 1944) Campbell - 021

Sunday Pictorial Review,
"For A Change, Let's Split A Case Of Beer" (1952) Campbell - 022

Judge, "Imported Japan" (1937) Campbell - 023

Spring Mills, "Two Birds And One Stone" (1948) Campbell - 024

Pictorial Review, "It's The Groom --
Should He Be Calling LONG Distance?" (1950) Campbell - 025

Barbasol (1944) Campbell - 026