Early comic strips appeared around 1818. For example, Robert Branston ,
an English wood engraver, produced Old Dame Trot and her Cat.
Old Dame Trot and her Cat
Here you behold Dame Trot, and here
her comic cat you see.
Each seated in an elbow chair
as snug as they can be.
Dame Trot came home one wintry night,
a shivering, starving soul,
but Puss had made a blazing fire,
and nicely trussed a fowl.
The Dame was pleased, the fowl was dressed,
the table set in place.
The wondreous cat began to carve,
and Goody said her grace.
The cloth withdrawn, old Goody cries,
I wish we'd liquor too.
Up jumped Grimalkin for some wine,
and soon a cork she drew.
The wine got up in Pussy's head,
she woud not go to bed,
but purred and tumbled, leaped and danced,
and stood upon her head.
Old Goody laughed to see the sport,
as though her sides would crack,
when Puss, without a single word,
leaped on the spaniels back.
Ha, ha! Well done!' old Trot exclaims,
'My cat, you gallop well'.
But Spot grew surly, growled and bit,
and down the rider fell.
Now Goody sorely was fatigued,
nor eyes could open keep.
So Spot and she and Pussy too,
agreed to go to sleep.
Next morning Puss got up bedtimes,
the breakfast cloth she laid.
And ere the village clock struck eight,
the tea and toast she made.
Goody awoke and rubbed her eyes,
and drank her cup of tea;
amazed to see her cat behave
with such propriety.
The breakfast ended, Trot went out
to see old neighbour Hards,
and coming home she found her cat
engaged with Spot at cards.
Another time the Dame came in,
when Spot demurely sat
half lathered to the ears and eyes,
half shaven by the cat.
Grimalkin having shaved her friend,
sat down before the glass,
and washed her face, and dressed her hair,
like any modern lass.
A hat and feather then she took,
and stuck it on aside,
and o'er a gown of crimson silk,
a handsome tippet tied.
Just as her dress was all complete,
in came the good old Dame.
She looked, admired, and curtsied low,
and Pussy did the same.
The first newspaper comic strip appeared in 1895.
Several of the early animators started life as cartoonists working for national newspapers.
One of these was Winsor McCay
who worked for the New York Herald. Dream of the Rarebit Fiend .
showed what happened when you eat cheese before going to bed. Two examples are shown below.
He saw the potential of this new art form and financed a set of early animated films starting in 1911.
