Tom Brown Cartoon Art
Added to Archive
Timothy and Susan Deneen of Evansville, Wisconsin contacted the Historical Society in July with the intent of offering an unusual gift. For years Susan had cherished a collection of cartoons that were given to her when she was a student in commercial art at MATC in Madison. The cartoons are the creation of Tom Brown a relative of her husband.
Tom Brown grew up at Riley, where by 1917 he was establishing himself as a cartoon artist, sending work to various magazines, newspapers and children’s publications. He continued his drawing while living in Mt. Horeb and later Oregon, Wisconsin. His work extended into the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The collection contains hundreds of drawings both original and published, as well as the work of his counterparts of the time. There is also a small tin box filled with paints and related items used for Tom’s foray into watercolor painting. There are also numerous correspondence letters with magazines, newspapers, and companies like MASDA Lights, which incorporated his work in their advertisements. The correspondence reveals a great deal about his craft, especially as the Great Depression takes its toll and the rejection letters increase in number.
This gift adds greatly to the Historical Society’s diverse holdings of works of art that document the many artists of Southwestern Dane County. We are grateful to the Deneens for offering this rare collection to the Society and for giving a cash gift to aid in the proper storage of these materials.
Above - back row L- R : Patrick, John, James
Middle Row : Ellie, Mary, Peter, Margaret, Teas
Front Row : Tom (cartoonist), Annie