Anthony Frederick Sarg (April 21, 1880–March 7, 1942), known professionally as Tony Sarg, was a

German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden fr ...

and illustrator. He was described as "America's Puppet Master", and in his biography as the father of modern puppetry in North America.

Early life

Tony Sarg was born in

Cobán Cobán ( kek, Kob'an), fully Santo Domingo de Cobán, is the Capital (political), capital of the Departments of Guatemala, department of Alta Verapaz in central Guatemala. It also serves as the administrative center for the surrounding Cobán mun ...

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...

, to Francis Charles Sarg and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Parker. The elder Sarg, son of Mary Ellen Best, was a

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

representing

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

; Parker was

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

. The family returned to the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

in 1887 ut note conflict that father Franz Sarg remained Consul until 1894 Sarg entered a military academy at age 14 and received a commission as

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

at 17; in 1905 (in his mid-20s) he resigned his commission and took up residence in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. There, he pursued a relationship with Bertha Eleanor McGowan, an American he had met when she was a tourist in Germany. They were married in her hometown of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, January 20, 1909, and returned to England, where their daughter Mary was born two years later. In 1914, with the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, he sent Bertha and the children to Cincinnati, followed them soon after, and settled the family in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1915. In 1920, he became a

naturalized citizen Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Career

He had been raised around

puppets A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to move ...

, inherited his grandmother's collection of them, developed them as a hobby that enhanced the impression he made on other artists, and finally in 1917, turned them into a profession. In 1921, Sarg animated the film ''

The First Circus ''The First Circus'' is a 1921 American short silent animated film, produced and directed by Tony Sarg and Herbert M. Dawley, featuring a pair of prehistoric circus performers balancing upon a brontosaurus ''Brontosaurus'' (; meaning " ...

'', an inventive cartoon for producer Herbert M. Dawley, who was credited as co-animator. Sarg went on to produce a series of cartoons known as ''Tony Sarg's Almanac'', from 1921 to 1923. In 1928, he designed, and his protégé

Bil Baird William Britton "Bil" Baird (August 15, 1904 – March 18, 1987) was an American puppeteer of the mid- and late 20th century. In a career that spanned over 60 years, he and his puppets performed for millions of adults and children. One of his be ...

built tethered

helium Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic ta ...

-filled

balloon A balloon is a flexible bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, and air. For special tasks, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), or lig ...

s up to 125 feet (40 m) long, resembling animals, for the New York institution of

Macy's Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...

department store. This work involved a number of puppetry-related principles. These creations were featured in the store's

Thanksgiving Day parade The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States wi ...

. In 1935, he undertook the puppet-related work of designing Macy's elaborate animated window display, which was shown between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The pinnacle of Sarg's visibility occurred at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, where his cumulative audience was 3 million; Baird was involved in this production, as were

Rufus Rose Rufus is a masculine given name, a surname, an Ancient Roman cognomen and a nickname (from Latin '' rufus'', "red"). Notable people with the name include: Given name Politicians * Rufus Ada George (born 1940), Nigerian politician * Rufus ...

and

Margo Rose Margo Rose (January 31, 1903 – September 13, 1997) was an American puppeteer. She designed many puppets for films and the show Howdy Doody with her husband. The couple won a Peabody Award for ''The Blue Ferry" in 1958. Biography Rose was b ...

. Sarg stepped back from competing with other puppet studios, and pursued illustrating magazine covers, guide books, and original children's picture books, games, and toys. He designed salons and sophisticated interiors for high-end department stores and restaurants, including the supper club at New York's

Waldorf Astoria The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schultze ...

. He designed extensively for the New York World's Fair, in 1939, creating the fair's official pictorial map, and numerous colorful and modernistic fabrics with World's Fair themes for lady's scarves, handkerchiefs, dresses, table linens, and upholstery, which were sold through Lord & Taylor Department Store. His protégé, Bil Baird, went on to design the puppets featured in the film ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. S ...

''.

Death

On February 17, 1942, Sarg had

surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pa ...

for a ruptured

appendix Appendix, or its plural form appendices, may refer to: __NOTOC__ In documents * Addendum, an addition made to a document by its author after its initial printing or publication * Bibliography, a systematic list of books and other works * Index (pu ...

, and died on March 7, 1942 of complications arising from it. He is buried at

Spring Grove Cemetery Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum () is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverton National Cemetery and Abraham ...

in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Legacy

The

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...

has preserved several of Tony Sarg's films, including ''The Original Movie'', ''When the Whale Was Jonahed'', ''Why They Love Cavemen'', ''The First Earful'', and ''Why Adam Walked the Floor''.

Filmography

All films co-animated and produced by Herbert M. Dawley * ''

'' (May 8, 1921) * ''The Tooth Carpenter'' (May 21, 1921) * ''Why They Love Cavemen'' (July 2, 1921) * ''When The Wale Was Jonahed'' (August 20, 1921) * ''Fireman, Save My Child'' (September 11, 1921) * ''The Original Golfer'' (January 7, 1922) * ''Why Adam Walked the Floor'' (February 5, 1922) * ''The Original Movie'' (April 9, 1922) * ''The First Earful'' (May 29, 1922) * ''Noah Put The Cat Out'' (July 9, 1922) * ''The First Degree'' (July 29, 1922) * ''The First Barber'' (August 27, 1922) * ''Baron Bragg and the Devilish Dragon'' (September 24, 1922) * ''The First Flivver'' (October 22, 1922) * ''The Ogling Ogre'' (November 19, 1922) * ''Baron Bragg and the Haunted Castle'' (December 17, 1922) * ''The Terrible Tree'' (January 14,1923)

References

*2007. "FANFAIR - 31 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE - Life Sketches -- Tony Sarg's New York Illustrations. The Cultural Divide. Elissa Schappell's Hot Type. My Stuff -- Lauren Bush; A. M. Homes on Lillys New Men's Wear. Krista Smith Exposes the Hotties of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's Grindhous; Bruce Handy Warms Up to Hot Fuzz. Matt Tymauer Has Designs on Moss. Graham Fuller Reviews the Edith Piaf Biopic; Giving Back with Green Jewels. Frank DiGiacomo on the Iggulden Brothers' Lost Childhood; Lisa Robinson Meets The Actual. Leslie Bennetts on Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann's Eco-Education; Amy Larocca on Olivia Chantecaille's Undersea Odyssey; Hot Looks". Vanity Fair. 75.

External links

* *
'Letter of Apology to Bert from This Wretch' Tony Sarg Writes from London
by George Korn

* ttps://www.flickr.com/photos/nantuckethistoricalassociation/sets/72157612238433015/ Photographs of Tony Sarg's Sea Serpent on Nantucket*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarg, Tony 1880 births 1942 deaths People from Cobán German emigrants to the United States Deaths from peritonitis American puppeteers Articles containing video clips American illustrators German people of English descent Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery