Walt Kelly: From the Collection of Paul P. Goldberg

Paul P. Goldberg wrote to a great many prominent cartoonists from the 1950s to the 1970s, amassing a collection of autograph drawings generously sent to him on self-addressed postcards. The cartoons are numerous enough to overwhelm just about anyone trying to follow them as they make their way through eBay—including, one assumes, potential buyers, the seller, and a certain less-than-diligent blogger. One of the more desirable postcards has Walt Kelly's drawing of his popular comic strip character Pogo.

"Here's to Paul—
with thanks
—Walt Kelly"

"Here's to Paul—
with thanks
—Walt Kelly"

Walt Kelly
eBay listing ended January 9, 2024

https://www.ebay.com/itm/176150062956

Walt Kelly
eBay item description

Walt Kelly
eBay bid history
The drawing goes to the last bidder—by three seconds!

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Walt Kelly: Prehysterical Pogo Panel

This original comic panel from Walt Kelly's book Prehysterical Pogo (in Pandemonia) doesn't seem all that engaging on its own. The characters are unusually small and the slight fragment of a story doesn't make much sense out of context. Still, as original Pogo art by Kelly, it sold pretty cheaply.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walt-Kelly-1966-Prehysterical-Pogo-Top-Panel-Pogo-Albert-Sha-Lan-L-K/201051142169?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20466%26meid%3D5540614228750212922%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D9138%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D350972306131

Add caption

http://pogoinpandemonia.blogspot.com/2009/05/sense-found-in-nonsense.html

Note:  Check out my other posts about Walt Kelly.

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Walt Kelly Poster Design for an Exhibit of American Cartoons

This original poster artwork by Walt Kelly features his signature comic strip character Pogo Possum. The medium is brushed india ink over blue pencil, the very technique he used when creating his comic strip art.

The poster publicizes a 1959 exhibit of American cartoons. It looks as if it might have been a worthwhile show. Imagine what the 1959 visitors to this show would have thought of Galerie Laqua's selling price for this today!

Walt Kelly, Original Artwork for An Exhibition of American Cartoons, April 6, 1959

http://www.galerielaqua.de/seiten_englisch/eoauskelly01.html

Note:  This post concludes my survey of Walt Kelly artwork for the time being. Earlier posts remain on view here. I'm far from done with Pogo and his creator, but I have other exciting subjects I want to move on to. I never really thought I'd spend this much time on Pogo, but I'm not sorry. I have always maintained that the subject matter of most any single post on this blog could serve as the basis for an entire blog if one kept coming back to different aspects of the subject and that's more or less what I've done here. In the case of Kelly, there's already the Whirled of Kelly blog here and Pogo in Pandemonia here. I focussed more on original artwork rather than published newspaper pages, taking advantage mostly of eBay sales featuring splendid scans of original artwork. These sales tend to vanish from eBay after a few months. What I'd really like to do some day is match up some of the original artwork I have here with the printed comic strips, particularly the color Sunday pages. If anyone has scans of the individual Sunday strips shown here, please get in touch.

By the way, Galerie Laqua in Berlin was mentioned on this blog once before in the Mail from Mr. Herriman post here.

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Walt Kelly's Pogo: Marry Go Round

In this example of original artwork from Walt Kelly's daily comic strip Pogo, the possum is quite literally being pursued in marriage. And it isn't even Sadie Hawkins Day!

Walt Kelly, Original Artwork for Pogo, December 3, 1965

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Daily-Pogo-Strip-by-Walt-Kelly-12-3-1965-Mademoiselle-Hepzibah-Pogo-/290963954694?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43becd9c06&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Note:  I have more Walt Kelly posts on view here.

You might also want to try the Whirled of Kelly blog here and Pogo in Pandemonia here.

Autumn begins today. There are just a couple of fall posts in the blog. You can see them here.

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Walt Kelly's Pogo: A Letter from Camp

Camp Siberia's students aren't writing letters home regularly, but Barnstable Bear has a plan to act as general corresponding secretary for the entire camp. Here is an example of original Sunday comic strip art for Walt Kelly's Pogo consisting of brushed ink over blue pencil.

Walt Kelly, Original Sunday Artwork for Pogo, July 30, 1961

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pogo-Sunday-Original-by-Walt-Kelly-Camp-Siberia-7-30-1961-/111139143055?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e068bd8f&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Note:  This blog now is now teeming with original Pogo comic strip art. See more of it here. 

Also try the Whirled of Kelly blog here. There's even Pogo in Pandemonia here.

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Walt Kelly's Pogo: Happy Buddha

Walt Kelly's Pogo visits Pandemonia and it's quite a place. Somehow L.B.J. is there too! This example of original daily Pogo comic strip art has fetched a premium on eBay. The dinosaurs in Pandemonia rock!

Walt Kelly, Original Artwork from Pogo, January 30, 1967

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Daily-Strip-by-Walt-Kelly-1-30-1967-Pogo-in-Pandemonia-/111139106953?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e0683089&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Note:  This blog is now chock full of Walt Kelly posts which you can enjoy here.

So is the Whirled of Kelly blog here. Then there's the Pogo in Pandemonia blog here which is all about this crazy extended Pandemonia sequence.

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Walt Kelly's Pogo: The National Debt

This original artwork by Walt Kelly for his Pogo comic strip touches on the U.S. national debt in 1959. Kelly quotes the very specific monetary cost of $14,992.59, presumably the cowbird couple's share of the national debt. Statistics I have been able to find show the per capita share of the national debt to be $1,585 around that time, so I don't quite see how the numbers reconcile.

Walt Kelly, Original Artwork for Pogo, March 18, 1959

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Daily-Strip-by-Walt-Kelly-3-18-1959-Pogo-Cowbirds-/111139090240?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e067ef40&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

http://politicalcalculations.blogspot.com/2009/04/us-economy-at-your-fingertips.html#.UjY1qWR4b6k

Note:  This blog now has many posts of original Pogo comic strip art. Enjoy them here. 

I also recommend the Whirled of Kelly blog here. You might also enjoy Pogo in Pandemonia here.

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