Henry “Hy” Mayer “Seeing The Town” Print 1907

A couple in the rear of an open sightseeing charabanc are kissing passionately, oblivious to the tour guide addressing them through his megaphone. Delicately rendered, the brave turrets and towers of the 1907 New York skyline, the Flatiron Building clearly visible, rush by them. An early work by one of the pioneers of animation.

(And we are delighted to append a photograph of the original for the drawing, an electric omnibus belonging to the Seeing New York tour company located AT the Flatiron Building! As you can see, Hy rendered it meticulously.)

Henry “Hy” Mayer (18 July 1868, Worms, Germany – 27 September 1954) was a German-American cartoonist and animator. He created the “Travelaughs” series, released through Universal Studios from 1913 to 1920, and the “Such Is Life” series, with titles as Such Is Life at a County Fair (1921) and Such Is Life in Munich (1922), released by Film Booking Offices of America from 1920 to 1926. These two series combined animation with live action film taken in exotic locations.

Mayer also worked with Otto Messmer on the series The Travels of Teddy, satirizing President  Teddy Roosevelt before Messmer left to work with producer Pat Sullivan on the long-running Felix the Cat animation series.

Framed 11′ x 8″.