Fred Harman (February 9, 1902 – January 2, 1982) was an American cartoonist, best known for his popular ''
Red Ryder'' comic strip, which he drew for 25 years, reaching 40 million readers through 750 newspapers. Harman sometimes used the pseudonym Ted Horn.
Born Leslie Fred Harman, he was two months old when his parents moved from
St. Joseph, Missouri
St. Joseph is a city in and county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. A small portion of the city extends north into Andrew County, Missouri, Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the princ ...
, to
Pagosa Springs, Colorado
Pagosa Springs (Ute dialect, Ute language: Pagwöösa, Navajo language: Tó Sido Háálį́) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat, the most populous community, and the o ...
, where he grew up familiar with horses and the ranching lifestyle. His father had previously homesteaded in Pagosa in 1891. Harman dropped out of school after seven years and never had any formal art training. He was self taught and developed an eye for dramatic perspective and authentic detail.
Kansas City
Harman worked as a pressman's helper at ''
The Kansas City Star
''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes.
''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and a ...
'', where he came in contact with the newspaper's art staff. When he was 20 years old, he was employed at the Kansas City Film Ad Company, working with
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
as an animator. Harman and Disney partnered to form their own company but went broke within a year. Harman then went back to Colorado. Harman's brother,
Hugh Harman, was also an animator at Disney's Kansas City studio.
[Reynolds, Moira Davison. ''Comic Strip Artists in American Newspapers, 1945-1980'', McFarland, 2003.]
/ref>
In the fall of 1924, Harman got a wire from an artist friend, Sam McConnell, about an illustrating job at Artcrafts Engraving Company. He took the first train he could get to St. Joseph, home of the Pony Express
The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company.
During its 18 months of opera ...
. In addition to his work as a catalog illustrator for Artcrafts (for the Olathe Boot Company, among other catalogs), Harmon created promotional art, book illustrations and film costume designs commemorating the Pony Express, and bought canvas and paint to create his own paintings at home in his spare time. Artcrafts then was on the 5th floor of the Jenkins Music Building, and Fred met and married musician Lola Andrews, who worked on the first floor of the same building. The couple had a son on May 27, 1927, the day Lindbergh arrived in Paris. Harman did not have the money to pay the hospital bill for his son's birth, so his boss at Artcrafts, William Henry Guenther Sr., bought one of Harman's paintings (of a cowboy with red hair) for the exact amount needed to cover the bill. The couple later moved to St. Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...
, where Fred was a partner in an advertising agency for several years before it failed. He was employed in Iowa for a short time before moving his wife and son to Pagosa Springs, where they built a log cabin. In 1933, he moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, where he edited, illustrated and published a Western magazine that collapsed after three issues. Although the Stendahl Art Gallery staged a show of his paintings, none sold.[
]
''Red Ryder''
Harman self-syndicated his '' Bronc Peeler'' strip from 1934 to 1938, finding few takers as he visited various West Coast newspaper offices. When he visited New York in 1938, he met publisher and licensing guru Stephen Slesinger and found success. Stephen Slesinger was looking for an exceptional artist to draw Red Ryder and Fred Harman was a perfect match. He was a genuine cowboy who had the talent and the knowledge of the authentic details Slesinger sought. Harman worked with Slesinger for a year, with other artists in Slesinger's New York Studios, before Red Ryder was ready to debut. Red Ryder was launched, with a year's full of pre-written storylines, a multi-pronged licensing campaign and a parade of appearances with Harman appearing as a real-life cowboy artist. Popular comic books, illustrated books and juvenile novels, Radio shows, movies, and an avalanche of dependable quality merchandise followed, from school supplies to camping supplies, toys, games, puzzles, novelties, craft kits and leather kits, wallets with secret pockets, watches, camping cookware and more. An exclusive Red Ryder Corral at JCPenney's offered Red Ryder Cowboy themed clothing, hats, suspenders, underwear, accessories, housewares and rugged Red Ryder Ranch Brand clothing for work and play. Soon there were Red Ryder Rodeos, Little Beaver Powwows, Red Ryder sponsored family events and outdoor youth programs. In 2020 Red Ryder Enterprises, Inc., owners of the Red Ryder trademarks, copyrights and archives, will celebrate the 80th Anniversary of Red Ryder's outdoor youth programs.[
In March 1953, Harman embarked on a six-week USO tour, doing chalk talks at camps in England, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey and Africa.
]
Cowboy Artists of America
Harman lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
, while also maintaining his Pagosa Springs ranch. After he retired from the strip in 1964, he turned to painting at his Albuquerque studio. The strip was continued by Bob MacLeod, Jim Gary, John Wade Hampton, and Edmond Good, the same talented artists who had helped produce the Red Ryder content in the New York Studios of Stephen Slesinger.[
Harman was one of the original 1965 members of the Cowboy Artists of America, along with Joe Beeler, Charlie Dye, John Hampton, and George Phippen; and Harman's paintings were included in the first annual exhibition of the Cowboy Artists of America on September 9, 1966, at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in ]Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
.
Harman died in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
, in 1982.
Family
Fred Harman's son, Fred Harman III, once operated the Fred Harman Art Museum. Son Fred Harman was featured on PBS series Painting and Travel with Roger and Sarah Bansemer in season 2, episode 10, ''Red Ryder,'' in a tour of the museum. This museum is now closed.
Awards
Among other honors, Harman was one of only 75 white men in history to be adopted into the Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation (), also known as Navajoland, is an Indian reservation of Navajo people in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. The seat of government is located in ...
. In 1958, he received the Sertoma Award as Colorado's Outstanding Citizen.
The Red Ryder Round-up is an annual July 4 weekend event in Pagosa Springs, home of the Fred Harman Art Museum.Pagosa Daily Post: "Business Spotlight: Fred Harman Art Museum", ''Pagosa Daily Post'', May 1, 2009.
References
External links
Fred Harman Western Art Museum
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harman, Fred
1902 births
1982 deaths
American comic strip cartoonists
Artists of the American West
People from Burbank, California
People from Pagosa Springs, Colorado