Doggone Drawings

Ralph Steadman defines a cartooning constant in my life. One of the few cartoonists my father spoke of was Steadman and as I mature, albeit at a slower rate than most, I definitely can see why my father enjoyed Steadman’s work. His quick stroke and rawness is so addictive! A brother to Tomi Ungerer, Jules Feiffer, James Thurber and Ronald Searle, I would never call his style careful (the word ejaculatory comes to mind) but the work that goes into it undoubtedly is thorough and loving. When Dogs Bodies (published in 1977) was donated to the library I could not have been happier!

In addition to these handsome portraits of dogs in various recognizable positions, Steadman imparts a bit of wisdom on the training of such companions.

The panels make you laugh, cringe, wince and never want to touch a dog again. Steadman does the canine species a huge favor in revealing the finer aspects of life.

–Jen Vaughn