Cartoonist Helen Hokinson (1893 – 1949) is best known for her New Yorker cartoons depicting the daily lives and social scenes of the 1920s and 1930s. Upon graduating from the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, Hokinson earned an income by sketching for the city’s famous department stores. Soon after, Hokinson relocated to New York City, picking up fashion illustration jobs for B. Altman and Lord & Taylor while also completing a short-lived comic for the Daily Mirror. During this time, Hokinson attended the New York School of Fine and Applied Art (now Parsons School of Design) and studied under Howard Giles, whose influence guided her to discover and draw everyday characters and subject matters from around the city. In 1925, Hokinson earned her first commission from The New Yorker. She would go on to create over 68 covers and 1,800 cartoons for the storied magazine, earning her a comfortable and secure, independet lifestyle. In addition to her cartoons, Hokinson illustrated numerous books for others. She published three books of her own collected work during her lifetime, and three more were published following her death.
Image credit:
Helen Hokinson
Caption: “We both felt sure that Gloria was marrying the wrong man, and we waited hopefully for the Handsome Hero to dash in at just the right moment, and save her from an unhappy life.”
Motion Picture Magazine, 1924