E. Simms Campbell

Artist and journalist

• Born: January 2, 1906
• Birthplace: St. Louis, Missouri
• Died: January 27, 1971
• Place of death: White Plains, New York

From the 1930’s through the 1960’s, Campbell was a nationally recognized cartoonist whose work was prominently featured in major magazines such as Esquire. He was particularly notable for being the first African American to have his cartoons published in nationally circulated glossy magazines. His work went on to appear in several other influential magazines during his lifetime.

Early Life

Elmer Simms Campbell was born on January 2, 1906, in St. Louis, Missouri. His parents, Elmer and Elizabeth, were schoolteachers. Elmer, Sr., who worked as an assistantprincipal at Sumner High School in St. Louis, was a former football and track star at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He died when Campbell was only four years old; Campbell’s mother took him to Chicago so that she could finish her schooling in the city. When it came time for Campbell to enter high school, he enrolled at Englewood High School in Chicago.

While at Englewood, Campbell became fixated on what would become his life’s work—drawing cartoons. He was the cartoonist for the school’s weekly student newspaper and won a nationwide cartoon contest for his work. After graduating, Campbell enrolled at the University of Chicago, but he only stayed for a year before transferring to the Art Institute of Chicago. His art education, however, did not lead to immediate success in the field. Campbell started work after school as a dining car waiter on the railroad.

Meanwhile, Campbell’s talent as a cartoonist continued to emerge. To pass the time on the railroad, Campbell often drew caricatures of the passengers. One passenger in particular was impressed with his work and gave him a job in St. Louis as an artist. While the job provided Campbell with a comfortable position doing something he loved, he did not waste much time—only a couple of years—before traveling east. When he relocated to were chosen in 1929, at the start of the Great Depression, he was able to find work for an advertising agency while also drawing for magazines such as Life and Judge. Campbell, who lived with his aunt at the time, also studied at the Academy of Design in his spare time. For about the first month that he was in New York, he did roadwork before finally managing to get a job as an illustrator.

Life’s Work

Campbell’s breakout year was 1933. At that time, he found success with a series of cartoons called “Harem Girls,” made with watercolors. The idea occurred to him after talking to fellow cartoonist Russell Patterson, who suggested that Campbell focus on Good Girl Art—the practice of emphasizing attractive women in illustrations no matter what the context. Campbell sold his cartoons to the nascent magazine Esquire, which soon became a successful men’s monthly. His artwork appeared in Esquire from the very first issue and remained a staple of the magazine until around 1958. Not only did Campbell draw many cartoons for the magazine, but he also contributed dozens of ideas to Esquire each month.

Campbell’s work in Esquire was just the beginning. His cartoons also appeared in The Chicagoan, Cosmopolitan, Ebony, The New Yorker, and Playboy. His comic panel “Cuties” was syndicated to more than 140 newspapers across the nation. “Cuties,” a gag panel, was a single image that conveyed some sort of visual gag to the reader. Campbell’s legacy, however, rested in the concept that he had originally created with “Harem Girls.” His most well-known images were ones featuring voluptuous women against a harem background.

Campbell’s work spanned a multitude of different venues. When he wasn’t drawing cartoons, he was creating advertisements for companies such as Springmaid and Hart Schaffner. He also drew World War II cartoons and enjoyed success as a syndicated cartoonist. Campbell died in White Plains, New York, in 1971, just a few weeks after celebrating his sixty-fifth birthday.

Significance

Campbell’s work in art and cartooning was groundbreaking for his time. Despite moving to New York City during one of the country’s most harrowing economic disasters, he became successful in only a few short years. He became the first African American to have his cartoons and illustrations nationally published in glossy magazines such as Esquire. Campbell also created a lasting legacy for himself at the magazine by creating Esky, Esquire’s mascot. Campbell’s cartoons live on in the twenty-first century in book collections and magazines.

Bibliography

Campbell, E. Simms. “The Blues.” In Jazzmen, edited by Frederick Ramsey and Charles Edward Smith. 1939. Reprint. St. Clair Shores, Mich.: Scholarly Press, 1977. This chapter offers an example of Campbell’s journalistic writing.

Goeser, Caroline. Picturing the New Negro: Harlem Renaissance Print Culture and Modern Black Identity. Culture America. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2006. Covers the Harlem Renaissance and its popularity during the first half of the twentieth century. Campbell’s work is included in this era alongside many other famous artists.

Harvey, R. C. “E. Simms Campbell: Comics Pioneer.” In Other Heroes: African American Comic Book Creators, Characters, and Archetypes. Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2007. This catalog from an art exhibition includes a detailed biography of Campbell and analysis of his work.

Horn, Maurice, ed. “E. Simms Campbell.” In The World Encyclopedia of Cartoons. 2d ed. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 1999. Biographical sketch of Campbell that focuses on his work for Esquire.