A new addition to VCU Libraries digital collections is "The Newlyweds and Their Baby," a rare hardback comic book printed in color on glossy paper.
"The Newlyweds," created in 1904 by George McManus, was the first newspaper comic strip to feature an American family--paving the way for "Hi and Lois," "The Family Circus," "Close to Home," "The Better Half" and many others.
Published by the New York World, "The Newlyweds" centered around a young couple.
In due time, Baby Snookums was added to the family. Later, the strip moved to The New York American and continued as "Their Only Child." The Baby Snookums character went onto stage and screen fame and, to some extend, endorsement fame.
Comic books started in the early part of the century and were made up of reprints of popular newspapers strips. The books were sold at newsstands.
The comic artist McManus worked for the era's big-name publishers: He drew for Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and for William Randolph Hearst. For Hearst's papers he created his best-known strip, "Bringing Up Father." To browse the collection
# # #
This exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Jennifer L. Cason, digital specialist at the VCU Libraries from 2007 to 2011.