Barney Google. In spite of the many setbacks in their brave effort to conquer the English Channel . . . – Historic Print
(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)
Description
This historic drawing of Barney Google. In spite of the many setbacks in their brave effort to conquer the English Channel . . . brings a moment of history to your wall. An authentic image from the Library of Congress, it carries the weight of the real historical record.
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Barney Google. In spite of the many setbacks in their brave effort to conquer the English Channel . . .
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A motorboat battling sharks in the middle of the English Channel is the unusual scene in this 1926 drawing, which carries a caption about the "brave effort to conquer" the water. Drawn in India ink with blue crayon and scraping on bristol board, it reflects the cartoonist's comic approach to the Channel, which in 1926 drew public attention after Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim it that August. The strip's creator, Billy DeBeck, built *Barney Google* around exaggerated, fast-paced gags, and this wide horizontal panel shows how he used the sea and its dangers as a backdrop for slapstick.
| Medium | 1 drawing : India ink, with blue crayon, and scraping out on bristol board ; 13.3 x 48.2 cm. (sheet) |
|---|---|
| Genre | lower right |
| Notes | 1926 Nov. 15 [publication date] |
| Subjects | Animal attacks--1920-1930. Motorboats--1920-1930. Sharks--1920-1930. English Channel. |
| Source | Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division |
| Original scan | 1,536 × 450 px · prints to 5 × 2 in at 300 dpi |
| Reference | AMZ-SOTP-HPA-156801 |
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