"Their First Quarrel" by Charles Dana Gibson (1914)

Rosebud Archives, whose goal is to revive and glorify vintage comic and graphic arts, is announcing the opening of its website, http://www.rosebudarchives.com. The website will specialize in prints, portfolios, posters, greeting cards, and books reprinting the best of comic strips, cartoon art, graphic satire, political cartoons, illustrations, advertising, posters, and magazine covers of the past.

The initial releases of Rosebud Archives include:

• A deluxe portfolio, “The Kraziest Kats,” comprised of 25 Sunday pages (including a previously un-reprinted page) restored to their original newspaper publication versions;
• Gallery-quality prints, available in several sizes, by Winsor McCay, John Held, Jr., Fontaine Fox, Clare Briggs, John T McCutcheon, Rea Irvin, and many other classic cartoonists;
• Books by Gluyas Williams and a portfolio by Eugene Zimmerman (”ZIM”);
• A limited-edition oversized portfolio, “People of Dickens,” by Charles Dana Gibson;
• A stunning color portfolio with unique color photographs of the immortal Marlene Dietrich, unseen for more than 70 years;
• Stationery, greetings cards, and envelopes featuring the artwork of George Herriman, Harrison Cady, Milt Gross, Cliff Sterrett, George McManus, and others.

I think the thing that makes me the happiest about their new site is that Rosebud Archives has announced its intention to reprint the work of major graphic artists and cartoonists of the Art Nouveau and Expressionist periods: Simpliccisimus, Jugend, L’Assiette au Buerre, Fiagro Illustre, Licht und Schatten, Wieland, and others. The initial Rosebud release program features legendary European cartoonists Erich Thony, Ferdinand von Reznicek, and others.

Co-founders Rick Marschall and Jonathan Barli said their mission is “to make great graphic art of the past available to the public and accessible to fans, in quality formats and collectible editions. Comics, cartoons, and other forms of popular culture should be appreciated, collected, and preserved. Rosebud Archives is devoted to celebrating major works as well as forgotten classics of popular culture. State-of-the-art scanning technology, and museum standards of reproduction, will be our commitments.”

Rosebud Archives has a unique design for its portfolios – secure covers and binding; and “padded” sheets that allow the prints to stay intact or be easily removed for framing. Only archival-grade art papers are used for its prints.

I’m a huge fan of old cartoon illustrations, so I think this whole idea sounds really cool.  Definitely worth checking out.