J. M. Condé was an early 20th century "golden age" book illustrator and comic strip artist best known for his ink and watercolor illustrations for books by

Joel Chandler Harris Joel Chandler Harris (December 9, 1848 – July 3, 1908) was an American journalist, fiction writer, and folklorist best known for his collection of Uncle Remus stories. Born in Eatonton, Georgia, where he served as an apprentice on a planta ...

and

Albert Bigelow Paine Albert Bigelow Paine (July 10, 1861 – April 9, 1937) was an American author and biographer best known for his work with Mark Twain. Paine was a member of the Pulitzer Prize, Pulitzer Prize Committee and wrote in several genres, including fictio ...

. He also worked on at least two comic strips, one of which was derived from Harris's " Br'er Rabbit" stories. Condé LaF

Conde-map-Hollow-Tree-Nights-and-Days-1915

Career

Condé worked in what is known as the golden age of American illustration in the early 20th century. His energetic line work calls to mind the work of his contemporary

A. B. Frost Arthur Burdett Frost (January 17, 1851 – June 22, 1928), usually cited as A. B. Frost, was an American illustrator, graphic artist, painter and comics writer. He is best known for his illustrations of Brer Rabbit and other characters i ...

, while his use of vivid color evokes

Winsor McKay Zenas Winsor McCay ( – July 26, 1934) was an American cartoonist and animator. He is best known for the comic strip ''Little Nemo'' (1905–14; 1924–26) and the animated film '' Gertie the Dinosaur'' (1914). For contractual reasons, he work ...

. He specialized in illustrations of animals in books for children. Condé illustrated the "Hollow Tree" books of Albert Bigelow Paine and some of Joel Chandler Harris's "Uncle Remus" stories, as well as books by

Martha Strudwick Young Martha Strudwick Young (Jan. 11, 1862–May 9, 1941) was an American regionalist writer known for her recounting of Southern folk tales, fables, and songs of black life in the plantation era. She was admired by other writers for her skill with di ...

and '' Aesop's Fables''. Like some other illustrators of the day, Condé attempted to show animals as if drawn from life, though he also followed the 'humanizing' line of traditional animal fables and usually clothed his animal characters in trousers and coat or shirt, and sometimes shoes as well. From June to October 1906, the McClure Syndicate ran a Sunday color comic strip entitled ''Brer Rabbit'' (sometimes referred to as ''Uncle Remus Stories''), based on Harris's stories and drawn by Condé. There were 16 episodes in the series, each with its own title, such as "Brer Rabbit & the Gold Mine." Another comic strip from Condé was ''Aubrey of the Tenements'' (1904), which featured a cat named Aubrey and his nameless friend, a talkative and rude parrot who gets them both into all kinds of mischief after they move from the slums to an upper-class home.

Selected books illustrated

''(Alphabetical by author)'' ;Aesop (translation by George F. Townsend) * ''Aesop's Fables'' (1905), some in color ;Raymond Fuller Ayers *''Animal Folk'' (ca. 1901) ;S. Ten Eyck Bourke *''Fables in Feathers'' (c. 1907) ;C. F. Carter *''Katooticut'' (1899) ;John Walker Harrington *''The jumping kangaroo and the apple butter cat'' (1900) ;Joel Chandler Harris * ''Told by Uncle Remus: New Stories of the Old Plantation'' (1905), illus. by

, Condé, and

Frank Ver Beck William Francis "Frank" Ver Beck (June 1, 1858 – July 13, 1933) was an American illustrator known for his comedic drawings of animals. Biography Ver Beck was born in Richland Township, Belmont County, Ohio as the son of a shoemaker. He studied ...

*''Uncle Remus and the Little Boy'' (1910) * ''Uncle Remus Returns'' (1918) ;Albert Bigelow Paine *''

The Hollow Tree and Deep Woods Book ''The Hollow Tree and Deep Woods Book'' is a children's book of short stories by Albert Bigelow Paine. It was published first in 1898 as an edition in one volume of ''The Hollow Tree'' and ''In the Deep Woods'' with several new stories and pictur ...

'' (1898) *''Making Up with Mr. Dog: Hollow Tree Stories'' (1901) *''How Mr. Rabbit Lost His Tail: Hollow Tree Stories'' (1910) *''

The Hollow Tree Snowed-In Book ''The Hollow Tree Snowed-In Book'' is a children's book of short stories written by Albert Bigelow Paine and illustrated by J. M. Condé. It was published by Harper & Brothers in 1910. The book contains the continued tales of the 'Coon, the 'Poss ...

'' (1910) *''

Hollow Tree Nights and Days ''Hollow Tree Nights and Days'' is a children's book written by Albert Bigelow Paine and illustrated by J. M. Condé. It was published by Harper & Brothers Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher Harp ...

'' (1915) *''Mr. Rabbit's Wedding: Hollow Tree Stories'' (1917) *''Mr. Crow and the Whitewash: Hollow Tree Stories'' (1917) *''Mr. Turtle's Flying Adventure: Hollow Tree Stories'' (1917) ;Martha Strudwick Young *''Plantation Bird Legends'' (1902) *''Beyond the Dark Pines'' (1912)

References

External links

''Aesop's Fables'' illustrated by Condé
at the Internet Database
''Uncle Remus Returns'' illustrated by Condé
at the Internet Database
J. M. Condé page at Project Gutenberg
*
''The jumping kangaroo and the apple butter cat''
at the Library of Congress
''Behind the dark pines'' illustrated by Condé
at the Internet Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Conde, J. M. American children's book illustrators American comic strip cartoonists Animal artists