Walter Rease Allman (February 27, 1884 – July 8, 1924) was an American cartoonist who created the newspaper gag comic The Doings of the Duffs.[1] The strip was launched on July 30, 1914. Allman's last strip was dated January 16, 1924, but the strip continued under other artists until August 15, 1931.[2]

Biography

Walter Allman worked in the grain business at a young age, but didn't have much interest in the trade, spending his time drawing on the sides of boxes and crates. His talent soon landed a job at an engraving company; he later found employment with the Toledo News-Bee newspaper.

His cartoon "work was picked up by the Scripps syndicate NEA Service and his comic Doings of the Duffs became a nationwide feature".[3] An example of his work with the Toledo paper can be seen in 1912, honoring victims of the Titanic disaster.[4]

An Allman cartoon about the Titanic disaster from the Toledo Bee
The Doings of the Duffs cartoon, sample from 1917

His The Doings of the Duffs comic strip gained a similar level of fame with the public as the Mutt and Jeff strip had.[5] Allman was a cartoonist from 1915 to 1924. He died in Cleveland on July 8, 1924 at age 42 after suffering a nervous breakdown in 1923.[3][6]

References

  1. ↑ Knudde, Kjell. "Walter Allman". Lambiek Comiclopedia. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  2. ↑ Holtz, Allan (2012). American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press. p. 129. ISBN 9780472117567.
  3. 1 2 Middlecamp, David (February 21, 2011). "Doings of the Duffs". San Luis Obispo Tribune. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  4. ↑ Sabella, Casey (1994). Titanic "Warning": Hearing the Voice of God in the Modern Age. New Leaf Publishing Group. ISBN 0892212713. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Walter R. Allman (1882-1924)". Yesterday's Papers. May 12, 2009. Retrieved October 18, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Walter Allman, Creator of 'The Duffs,' is Dead". Stockton Daily Evening Record. Cleveland. July 8, 1924. p. 6. Retrieved March 8, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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