Harrison Cady was an American illustrator and author, best known for his comic strip, Peter Rabbit. He started his career as early as 1894 when his first illustration appeared in the magazine Harper’s Young Magazine.
When Harrison was 18, his father was killed in Boston. He and his mother moved to New York City, where he became an illustrator at the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper. From there, he took on other freelancing positions, eventually being hired as a staff cartoonist for Life magazine.
I first saw Harrison’s illustrations when I visited the Library of Congress last year. The cartoony style (which has since been duplicated by numerous illustrators) and intense detail was what drew me in. His work is lighthearted and fun, and I like it when he charges animals insects with acting like humans.
Three images above via Animation Resources. Again, click for detail!
And finally, this is the first image I saw by Harrison. This composition, with the details and various scenes jam-packed into it, is impressive.
Image via Tusks Family.
1 Comment
Joanne Kennedy
April 5, 2015 at 12:42 pmThank you for posting this! I grew up on the Thornton Burgess children’s books, which Cady illustrated. Later in life I’ve learned more about him, and I love these detailed images. He had such a wonderful, warm imagination!
(I’m a little late, but was looking for Cady rabbits for Easter today, and found your site. Love it!)