WINSOR MCCAY
Name: Winsor McCay
Born: 26 September 1867
Died: 26 July 1934
Winsor McCay (September 26, 1867 - July 26, 1934) was an American cartoonist
and animator.
A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work
of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in
later decades. His two best-known creations are the newspaper comic strip Little
Nemo in Slumberland, which ran from 1905 to 1914, and the animated cartoon
Gertie the Dinosaur, which he created in 1914.
His comic strip work has influenced generations of artists, including creators
such as Moebius, Chris Ware, William Joyce, and Maurice Sendak.
McCay was the son of Robert McKay (later changed to McCay) and Janet Murray
McKay; Robert at various times worked as a teamster, a grocer, and a real estate
agent. Winsor's exact place and year of birth are uncertain he claimed to have
been born in Spring Lake, Michigan in 1871, but his gravestone says 1869, and
census reports state that he was born in Canada in 1867. He was originally named
Zenas Winsor McKay, in honor of his father's employer, Zenas G. Winsor. He later
dropped the name Zenas.
In 1886, McCay's parents sent him to Cleary's Business College in Ypsilanti,
Michigan to learn to be a businessman. While in Ypsilanti, he also received his
only formal art training, from John Goodison of Michigan State Normal College (now
known as Eastern Michigan University). Goodison taught him the strict
application of the fundamentals of perspective, which he put to significant use
later in his career. Goodison, formerly a glass stainer, also influenced McCay's
bold use of color.
In 1889, McCay moved to Chicago, intending to study at the Art Institute of
Chicago, but due to lack of money had to find employment instead. He worked for
the National Printing and Engraving Company, producing woodcuts for circus and
theatrical posters. Two years later, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and went to
work as an artist for Kohl and Middleton's Vine Street Dime Museum. While in
Cincinnati he eloped with the 14 year old Maude Leonore Dufour.
Name: Winsor McCay
Born: 26 September 1867
Died: 26 July 1934
Winsor McCay (September 26, 1867 - July 26, 1934) was an American cartoonist
and animator.
A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work
of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in
later decades. His two best-known creations are the newspaper comic strip Little
Nemo in Slumberland, which ran from 1905 to 1914, and the animated cartoon
Gertie the Dinosaur, which he created in 1914.
His comic strip work has influenced generations of artists, including creators
such as Moebius, Chris Ware, William Joyce, and Maurice Sendak.
McCay was the son of Robert McKay (later changed to McCay) and Janet Murray
McKay; Robert at various times worked as a teamster, a grocer, and a real estate
agent. Winsor's exact place and year of birth are uncertain he claimed to have
been born in Spring Lake, Michigan in 1871, but his gravestone says 1869, and
census reports state that he was born in Canada in 1867. He was originally named
Zenas Winsor McKay, in honor of his father's employer, Zenas G. Winsor. He later
dropped the name Zenas.
In 1886, McCay's parents sent him to Cleary's Business College in Ypsilanti,
Michigan to learn to be a businessman. While in Ypsilanti, he also received his
only formal art training, from John Goodison of Michigan State Normal College (now
known as Eastern Michigan University). Goodison taught him the strict
application of the fundamentals of perspective, which he put to significant use
later in his career. Goodison, formerly a glass stainer, also influenced McCay's
bold use of color.
In 1889, McCay moved to Chicago, intending to study at the Art Institute of
Chicago, but due to lack of money had to find employment instead. He worked for
the National Printing and Engraving Company, producing woodcuts for circus and
theatrical posters. Two years later, he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and went to
work as an artist for Kohl and Middleton's Vine Street Dime Museum. While in
Cincinnati he eloped with the 14 year old Maude Leonore Dufour.