Collection inventory

Overview of the Collection
Creator:	Branner, Martin Michael, b. 1888.
Title:	Martin Branner Cartoons
Inclusive Dates:	1920-1957
Quantity:	2 linear ft.
Abstract:	300 original cartoons from the comic strip Winnie Winkle.
Language:	English
Repository:	Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

Martin Michael Branner (1888-1970) was an American cartoonist and creator of the long-running newspaper comic strip Winnie Winkle.

Martin Branner came to cartooning a bit later in life, after a colorful early history as one-half of the successful vaudeville dance act, Martin and Fabrini. Branner first met his dance partner and future wife Edith Fabrini in 1905, and they soon established a lucrative career on the vaudeville circuit. With the advent of World War I, Branner was called away to military duty in the Chemical Warfare Service of the U.S. Army.

After the War, Branner turned his cartooning hobby into a professional endeavor, signing with the Bell Syndicate to produce the Sunday feature strip, Looie the Lawyer. Soon after, he was engaged by the New York Sun and Herald to produce a short-lived Sunday feature, Pete and Pinto. In 1920, Branner got his big break when he was added to Joseph Medill Patterson's impressive roster of Chicago Tribune-New York News Syndicate cartoonists to produce Winnie Winkle (originally titled Winnie Winkle, the Breadwinner).

Starting its run in September of 1920, Winne Winkle was one of the earliest of the modern career-girl strips that included such titles as Somebody's Stenog, Tillie the Toiler, Jane Arden, and a long list of others. The original conceit had a young Winnie working to support her elderly grandparents. Winnie eventually married, had twins and established a career as a fashion designer. Widowed during World War II, Winnie also had the distinction of being one of the most prominent single parents in comics (her husband eventually "returned" in a plot development in the 1970s).

In 1962, due to poor health, Martin Branner turned the strip over to his assistant, Max Von Bibber, who continued to draw the strip until 1980. Winnie Winkle continued until 1996, under the hand of various artists, making it one of the longest running newspaper strips of all time.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Martin Branner Cartoons collection contains 300 original daily cartoons from the comic strip Winnie Winkle (1920-1957). There is a complete week from each year represented, and an additional few random cartoons from each year. There are no holdings for 1946 and 1947. Daily cartoons: traces of graphite, blue pencil, zipatone, brush, pen and ink on illustration board, approx. 7 ¼ x 22 ½ in.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Cartoons are in chronological order.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has collections of over one hundred cartoonists. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.

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Subject Headings

Persons

Associated Titles

Subjects

Genres and Forms

Occupations

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Martin Branner Cartoons,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Gift of Martin Branner, 1968.

Finding Aid Information

Created by: MD
Date: 5 Dec 2008
Revision history: 5 Dec 2008 - converted to EAD (MD); 2 Mar 2009 - revised (MD)

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Inventory

	Winnie Winkle cartoons (300)
Box 1		1920 Dec 6 - Dec 13, Oct 4 (9)
Box 1		1921 Jun 14, Sep 15 - Sep 21, Oct 17 (9)
Box 1		1922 Jan 1 - Jan 7, Jan 21, Mar 7 (9)
Box 1		1923 Jan 31, Apr 27, May 18, Oct 22 - Oct 27 (9)
Box 1		1924 Mar 10 - Mar 15, Mar 26, Apr 28, Sep 29 (10)
Box 1		1925 Jun 15, Sep 8, Sep 11, Sep 23, Sep 28 - Oct 3 (10)
Box 1		1926 Nov 23 - Nov 25, Dec 6 - Dec 11, Dec 14 (10)
Box 1		1927 Mar 7, May 4, Aug 9, Aug 11, Oct 31 - Nov 5 (10)
Box 1		1928 Jun 12, Nov 21, Dec 10 - Dec 15 (8)
Box 1		1929 Jan 1, Jan 2, Jun 3 - Jun 8 (8)
Box 1		1930 Apr 7 - Apr 12, May 10, Sep 6 (8)
Box 1		1931 Jan 5 - Jan 10, Apr 24, Apr 25 (8)
Box 1		1932 Aug 15 - Aug 20, Oct 5, Oct 6 (8)
Box 1		1933 Oct 9 - Oct 14, Nov 9, Nov 11 (8)
Box 1		1934 Feb 7, Feb 8, Apr 16 - Apr 21 (8)
Box 1		1935 Jul 8 - Jul 13, Jul 17, Jul 18 (8)
Box 1		1936 Dec 2, Dec 3, Dec 7 - Dec 12 (8)
Box 1		1937 Nov 1 - Nov 6, Dec 9, Dec 10 (8)
Box 1		1938 Sep 5 - Sep 10, Dec 15, Dec 16 (8)
Box 2		1939 Aug 8, Aug 9, Aug 14 - Aug 19 (8)
Box 2		1940 Jun 11, Jun 12, Dec 9 - Dec 14 (8)
Box 2		1941 Jan 17, Jan 20, Sep 1 - Sep 6 (8)
Box 2		1942 Aug 1, Aug 17 - Aug 22, Aug 24 (8)
Box 2		1943 Jun 28 - Jul 3, Nov 23, Nov 30 (8)
Box 2		1944 Jun 21, Jun 23, Nov 27 - Dec 2 (8)
Box 2		1945 Apr 9 - Apr 14, Apr 26, Apr 27 (8)
Box 2		1948 Oct 18 - Oct 23, Dec 20, Dec 21 (8)
Box 2		1949 Jan 10 - Jan 15, Feb 1, Feb 2 (8)
Box 2		1950 Jun 26 - Jul 1, Aug 28, Aug 29 (8)
Box 2		1951 Feb 19, Feb 21, Mar 19 - Mar 24 (8)
Box 2		1952 Jun 16 - Jun 21, Jun 30, Jul 3 (8)
Box 2		1953 Feb 9 - Feb 14, Jun 25, Nov 3 (8)
Box 2		1954 Jan 6, Jan 7, Jan 18 - Jan 23 (8)
Box 2		1955 Aug 8 - Aug 13, Oct 28, Oct 29 (8)
Box 2		1956 May 14 - May 19, Jun 28, Jun 29 (8)
Box 2		1957 Jan 3, Jan 5, Sep 23 - Sep 28 (8)

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