Rural Images focuses on the portrayal of rural American life in the twentieth century by these three artists during their long and successful career.  This online exhibit contains materials from an exhibit formerly currently on display at the University of Wyoming's Art Museum in 1999.

Comic strips and cartoons began appearing in American newspapers with increasing frequency late in the nineteenth century with the growth of Sunday supplements. The medium’s appeal undoubtedly relates directly to the simplicity of the cartoon figure. Rather than representing a distinct individual, the features of cartoon and comic characters represent types. The ideas presented thus often take precedence over detail, inviting the readers to see their own experiences and dreams reflected in the work.

Given the American public’s obsession with the idea of the West, it is not at all surprising that the teens and twenties of the twentieth century saw a boom of Western-themed comics, complete with the wild adventures of the American cowboy, such as Zane Grey and Red Ryder.                

The multi-paneled comic strip, however, is different from the single-paneled cartoon. While the comic strip allows for greater continuity of story line, the cartoon allows the artist to express a more powerful message, such as in editorial cartoons. Thus, while the cartoon may be no less entertaining than the comic strip, the cartoon has greater potential for realism and political statements.

Realism is an important aspect in the works of the three artists represented here. Taken together, the careers of J.R. Williams, Ace Reid, and Jerry Palen span the years from the early 1920s until today. While the American West, its cowboys, and ranches do appear in some of these pieces, none of these artists chose to present himself as a Western or cowboy cartoonist. Rather, these works strive to portray the realities of American rural life during the times in which they were produced.

In the more than seventy years represented here, we see the last days of the longhorned steer, droughts and floods, the advent of the cell phone, the struggles of the family farm, and the rise and fall of the cattle market. Sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, the reflections in these cartoons are told with the accuracy of those who have experienced rural life first hand.

J. R. Williams

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