Wide Awake in Slumberland by Roeder Katherine;

Author:Roeder, Katherine;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Published: 2014-09-14T16:00:00+00:00

Fig. 5.5

Winsor McCay, Little Nemo in Slumberland, New York Herald, December 24, 1905

Window dressers were instructed to create show windows that were symmetrical, bold, and dramatic to incite the imaginations of their customers. Other windows incorporated moving parts, dramatic lighting, architectural motifs, and vivid colors, all of which contributed to their dynamism and by giving the suggestion of a live performance. Curvilinear art nouveau backdrops were favored as a visual contrast to the rectilinear boundaries of the window frame, and such motifs also signified the department stores’ connection to continental trends in both art and fashion.27 McCay’s compositions are also noted for their use of symmetry and color, as well as their busy, theatrical design. His propensity for drawing thick black outlines around his characters and positioning them against shallow, frieze-like backdrops similarly call to mind stage design. A December 9, 1906, episode, in which Flip is charmed by a witch disguised as a young girl, resembles an illustration of a theatrical performance (fig. 5.6). All the characters inhabit a narrow horizontal band of space in the foreground; as always they are vibrantly colored and outlined in black. They are set off against the background, which is a softly defined garden in muted shades of green and gray. The lighter, lower contrast tones suggest the artist was using atmospheric perspective to imply depth. However, there is no transitional space between the shallow area nearest the picture plane and the backdrop, giving it instead the appearance of painted scenery. Several trees are planted amongst the characters; they are outlined in black and are in no way integrated with the plants and shrubs in the background. Indeed, the artifice is so apparent and mannered that the allusion to the theatrical stage must be intentional.

McCay demonstrated his sure handling of perspective on repeated occasions, which makes these frieze-like backgrounds so notable. The stage-like compositions reappear sporadically throughout his career, though never again with the frequency with which they are seen during a short stretch of time between November 1906 and January 1907, when he employed this compositional style on seven occasions.28 It was as if McCay somehow anticipated the announcement Broadway producers Marcus Klaw and A. L. Erlanger would make the following summer; that they would be investing $100,000 (a remarkable price for the period) to bring Little Nemo to the stage. As Klaw explained, “It will be a series of monstrous tableaux, designed by Mr. McCay himself. The settings will be so exquisitely splendid, so artistically lit, that the sound of audible ‘Ahs’ and ‘Ohs’ will resound through the auditorium as each curtain is lifted.”29 “Oh!” of course, being Nemo’s signature interjection. It is unknown when negotiations with Klaw and Erlanger began regarding the Broadway production of Little Nemo, though it is tempting to speculate that the possibility was on McCay’s mind as he drew those stage-like comic strips at the close of 1906.30 Perhaps he was advertising in his own way—advocating for the ease with which his work could be transferred to the stage.

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