[identification of item], [box number/folder number], Franklyn B. Modell Collection of Cartoon Art, SPEC.CGA.FBM, Billy Ireland Cartoon LIbrary and Museum, Ohio State University
Franklyn Bruce Modell was born on September 6, 1917 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Irving and Daisy (Simons) Modell. As a child, Modell noted he was constantly scribbling and drawing, particularly during a quarantine with scarlet fever. After graduating from West Philadelphia High School, Modell decided to pursue illustration as a profession; however, not recognizing the commercial potential of his simple, humorous cartoons, Modell attended the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art studying lithography and advertising art for commercial illustration. Upon graduation in 1939, Model worked as a free-lance illustrator, cartoonists, and writer, eventually sending examples of his cartoons to the art director of the New Yorker, Jim Geraghty, who took a keen interest in Modell’s potential.
World War II paused Modell’s cartooning career, as he was drafted in 1941 and served until 1945 with the U.S. Army Signal Corps, attaining the rank of sergeant. During his time with the Army, Modell continued to send cartoons into Geraghty at the New Yorker, and upon the conclusion of the war, Geraghty hired Modell as his assistant in 1945. Modell’s first cartoon appeared in the New Yorker on July 20th, 1946 and his simple, yet witty, and quintessential, single-panel cartoons continued to break up blocks of text in the New Yorker for the next fifty years, equating to more than 1,400 cartoons.
Through his career Modell has also drawn six covers for the New Yorker, drew for Playboy, illustrated advertisements, and has published several self-illustrated children’s books, most notably “Tooley Tooley” and “Seem Any Cats?” A compilation of his work from the New Yorker was also published in 1971 entitled “Stop Trying the Cheer Me Up!” During his career, Modell served as a member and Vice President of the Cartoonists Guild. And besides his success in cartoons and publications, Modell has also pursued screenwriting and storyboarding, as well as acting. He was awarded honors from the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation for his storyboard work for the Electric Company and Sesame Street in 1971.
Modell retired to Guildford, Connecticut in the late 1990s and died in his home on May 27th, 2016 at the age of 98.
The collection contains primarily articles both by and about Franklyn Modell, and tear sheets, clippings, and magazine covers of Modell's work appearing in the New Yorker. Examples of Modell's early works including advertisements, publications, loose sketches, and sketchbooks by Modell are present. Also included in the collection are slides of additional work, roughs, photocopies, book notes and ideas, foreign language publications, and a letter from James Geraghty addressed to Modell.
This collection is arranged by format.
Materials in this collection are available for use, but may be used in the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum reading room only. Audio/visual materials and computer media may need a use copy produced before access is allowed.
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyright, and are made available for research and educational purposes. In general, the OSU Libraries do not own the copyright for materials from our collections and cannot grant copyright permissions for these materials. The user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exceptions to the law. Works in the public domain are not protected by copyright and do not require permission to use.
CGA.FBM.2016: Joseph H. Cooper and Florence "Flicker" Hammond: Estate of Franklyn B. Modell, August 2016; CGA.FBM.2016.2: Joseph H. Cooper and Florence "Flicker" Hammond: Estate of Franklyn B. Modell, October 2016; CGA.FBM.2016.3: Joseph H. Cooper and Florence "Flicker" Hammond: Estate of Franklyn B. Modell, November 2016; CGA.FBM.2016.4: Joseph H. Cooper and Florence "Flicker" Hammond: Estate of Franklyn B. Modell, December 2016; CGA.2017.044: Joseph H. Cooper and Florence "Flicker" Hammond: Estate of Franklyn B. Modell, April 2017; CGA.2017.074: Joseph H. Cooper and Florence "Flicker" Hammond: Estate of Franklyn B. Modell, August 2017;
Megan Sand, November 2017
Original art by Franklyn B. Modell and other artists also comprise this collection. It has been separated and cataloged at the item level in the Original Art Database under the ns2:title
Miscellaneous clipping about Franklyn B. Modell may be founs in the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum's biography files under his last name. Books written and illustrated by Modell can be found the library catalog under the name Modell, Frank.
Box includes six schetchbooks.