Isaac Morgan (June 28, 1871 – September 13, 1913) was a well-known newspaper

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

for several big newspapers in Chicago and New York.

Biography

Morgan was labeled "well-educated" by newspaper colleagues. He was fluent in Latin and an aficionado for the theater. He was born in

Grand Tower, Illinois Grand Tower is a city in Jackson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 479 at the 2020 census. The town gets its name from Tower Rock, a landmark island in the Mississippi River. History Former names of this town include ''La ...

, and grew up in St. Louis, where he graduated from the St. Louis School of Fine Arts. Morgan was a good friend and colleague with

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's fantasy books, particularly '' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', part of a series. In addition to the 14 ''Oz'' books, Baum penned 41 other novels ...

and shared a studio with

William Wallace Denslow William Wallace Denslow (; May 5, 1856 – March 29, 1915) was an American illustrator and caricaturist remembered for his work in collaboration with author L. Frank Baum, especially his illustrations of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''. Dens ...

, both joint creators of ''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wizard of Oz'' is a 1939 American Musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left pro ...

''. Morgan provided pictures for Baum's ''

American Fairy Tales American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

'' (1901), and illustrated '' The Woggle-Bug Book'' (1905). By one account, it was Morgan who introduced L. Frank Baum to Paul Tietjens, the composer for ''The Wizard of Oz'' and other stage projects. Both W.W. Denslow and Ike Morgan were influenced by Japanese woodcuts on French prints. Morgan developed his own pen-and-ink style and took pride with his color work in the ''Woggle-Bug Book'', Boylan's ''Kids of Many Colors'' and in ''Steps to Nowhere''. His bold illustrations and colors used in various shapes and sizes emphasized his drawings in a dramatic way, rather than limiting their natural scope, so widely incorporated by other illustrators. Morgan was commissioned often for his paintings, theatrical posters and magazine covers. Ike was married to Mrs. Pauline H. Swain Morgan. According to Denslow's biography it was Denslow who had hosted Morgan's wedding reception while his former roommate Paul Tietjans performed some of the music. Ike Morgan died at his home in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

on September 13, 1913. Ike strip

References

Sources

*
Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum
* ''American Fairy Tales'', 1901, written by L. Frank Baum, illustrations Ike Morgan * ''The St. Louis Republic'', 1901

External links

*

at philsp.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Ike 1871 births 1913 deaths American illustrators People from Jackson County, Florida