The Cartoons of Evansville's Karl Kae Knecht

by James Lachlan MacLeod

  Ten years of Evansville College, 1927. UE/EVPL.

  Centennial of Evansville College, 1954. UE/EVPL.

  He continued to support Evansville College throughout his career, frequently drawing cartoons that drew attention to the institution and its affairs, including fundraising. A ghostly image of Benjamin Bosse adorns the cartoon that marked ten years of the college in Evansville in 1927. It shows Bosse working the plow that was used in the groundbreaking ceremony in 1919, based on the photograph of the same event taken by none other than Karl Kae Knecht. Bosse is uttering a version of the phrase with which he began the college fundraising campaign—“I feel it my duty to do all in my power to give youth the educational advantages that were denied to me.” In 1954, Knecht marked the centennial of Evansville College—1854 was the year of the foundation of Moores Hill College—with a beautiful image that reflected not just the history but also his own connections. Interestingly, it actually includes one of the photographs that Knecht took at the groundbreaking. This one has President Alfred F. Hughes taking his turn at the ceremonial plow with Bosse a smiling figure to the left. Kay the elephant is wearing an Evansville College graduation cap and gown, and the cartoon is signed “Karl Kae Knecht Litt. D. Class ’53.” It is an interesting image in that it shows several of Knecht’s traits: the use of photographs literally cut and pasted into the image; the use of older existing drawings (such as Evansville College’s Administration Hall in the top right of the cartoon) similarly pasted in; his great skill as a caricature artist—much of his Chalk Talk notoriety was based on his uncanny ability to draw caricatures—and finally his great talent for drawing buildings.

  If helping to bring a college to Evansville was not enough, ten years later Knecht almost single-handedly started Mesker Park Zoo. His significance in this regard is well illustrated by the fact that when the Evansville Zoological Society published a history of the zoo in 2011, the first chapter was simply entitled “Karl Kae Knecht.”65 One day in 1928, Knecht was offered two lions on the condition that they could be given appropriate accommodation. When he asked Mayor Herbert Males about it, the mayor responded, “Great! Get us the lions and we’ll get the cage. Rest assured of that.”66 By April, the lions, Belle and Brutus, were in place, and Mesker Park Zoo was born. Brutus reportedly “roared out his gladness to be out of the shipping crate” on arrival.67 Knecht “took a leading part in its growth and progress,” and given his love of elephants, it was perhaps inevitable that he would want one for the zoo. He started a campaign to raise enough money to bring an elephant to Evansville.68 He began the campaign on March 17, 1929, with these words, written in his own inimitable style:

  Did you know that we are going to get an elephant for our City Zoo? That we, ourselves, are going to buy it, you and me? Well we are, all the children—young as well as old—no age limit at all—these but a day old or those one hundred years of age—all of us.…The elephant will then really belong to the children. When they grow to womanhood and manhood and perchance become mothers and fathers they can then take their children to the zoo and there point to the elephant, also that many years older, and tell how they helped to buy it.…Give or send whatever amount that you can, the more the better—your pennies, a nickel, a dime, quarter, a half or full dollar, or five, ten or even more dollars as so many have.…The Courier and The Journal will print a list of the donations every day.69

  Karl Kae Knecht with Kay the elephant, 1930s. WL.

  Contributions of all sizes poured in, and less than one month later, on April 9, the fund went past its goal with a gift of $1,500 from Mrs. George Mesker, who told Knecht in the letter containing her check that the gift was “inspired by the intense interest which [had] been shown” by the city’s response to his appeal.70 As a result, the zoo was able to purchase the single most significant animal that it ever had—a Burmese elephant that was named Kay after Karl Kae Knecht. As was said in one account of the history of the zoo, written in 1978, “For 25 years, life at Mesker Park Zoo revolved around Kay, who remains for many the keenest memory of the facility…[as she was] the biggest zoo attraction.”71 One of Knecht’s most memorable cartoons was drawn for the day that Kay arrived at the zoo, June 14, 1929. Captioned “How Our City Appears Today,” it is an aerial rendering of the city of Evansville, with the city drawn in the shape of an elephant. Kay’s route to Mesker Park Zoo is shown as a procession of very cute little elephants, and at the zoo, a little boy and a little girl jump for joy on her arrival while Kay raises her trunk in salute.

  It seems very clear that although others played significant roles, the existence of a zoo in the city can largely be attributed to the activism of Knecht. Looking back in 1990, the Evansville Courier said in an editorial, “Without the efforts of Karl Kae Knecht, Evansville might never have had a zoo. Indeed the creation of Mesker Park Zoo can be traced to the longtime Courier cartoonist…[Knecht] loved the zoo and his community loved him. And, for good reason, the zoo’s first building was named for him.”72 He drew numerous cartoons related to the zoo, and of course, Kay the elephant was present in almost all his cartoons after 1928.

  Kay comes to Mesker, the city shaped like an elephant, June 14, 1929. UE/EVPL.

  Tragically, the real elephant Kay was to be involved in the death of two of her keepers; the first was Jack Mayer, a part-time zookeeper who died after an alleged interaction with her in 1938—although the precise role played by Kay was probably limited.73 The second was the zoo’s director, Roger “Bob” McGraw, who died of injuries he received from Kay in 1954.74 Knecht’s position was complicated, and he both drew a cartoon and wrote a column defending Kay and justifying her actions.75 In immediate response to McGraw’s death, though, Knecht drew one of his starkest and most powerful cartoons, a response to an elephant that he loved killing a man whom he admired. The cartoon shows a pair of robed female hands hanging up a wreath beside an elephant hook with “Bob McG” inscribed on it. The wreath has a ribbon wrapped around its bottom half on which is written “To R.F. ‘Mac’ McGraw, Kay’s and all 300 animals [sic] friend. From his and their friends—the children of today and of yesteryears.” It is a cartoon that emanates deep regret and great sadness, a formidable response to an event that undoubtedly traumatized him.

  Shortly after his successful quest to bring Kay to Evansville, and long before the tragic dénouement to that story, Knecht was fêted in celebration of his fiftieth birthday, in 1933. It was also considered his twenty-fifth anniversary of working at the newspaper. During this event, described as “the biggest surprise of his life,” some remarkable tributes were paid to him—all the more notable when it is remembered that he was not yet even half way through his tenure with the Courier.76 The tributes reflected how highly he was thought of, and although they ranged from the serious to the comical, they all communicated the level of esteem at which he was held, all across the country. A telegram from the White House said, “Twenty-five years of faithful service to the newspaper public and fifty years of honorable living deserve the recognition Evansville gives to him. Mighty as is the pen used by the writing fraternity, the drawing pen as used by Mr. Knecht is a power unto itself. I feel sure the President would send a congratulatory message to Mr. Knecht if he were here.”77 Howard Roosa, one of the giants of Evansville life in the twentieth century and a former owner and editor of the Courier, said this:

  The death of “Bob” McGraw, February 1954. UE/EVPL.

  For twenty-five years we of the former and present Courier staff have looked up to him as our guide, philosopher and friend but we had no idea what a doddering old bird he was. Association with this sweet and genial spirit has been an inspiration for all of us younger men. The reproduction of his cartoons in books and magazines made us proud that we were Courier men.…For twenty-five years the brilliant cartoons of Karl K Knecht have influenced the thought of the Courier’s great and enlarging clientele. More than that, their graciousness, their luminous qualities, their fairness, even in the heat of battle, have moulded [sic] t
he character of thousands of Courier readers. The people of the Tri-state territory are finer in texture, more mellow in their outlook on life because of the great cartoons appearing from day to day by the great cartoonist.78

  Karl Kae Knecht at work, 1951. WL.

  Elmer Noelting, a senior executive with the Faultless Caster Company, called him the “assistant director of thought along higher planes in this community,” and Leslie Eichel, a former editor of the Evansville Press who was then with the Central Press Association of New York, said, “When I deal with many cartoonists, I strive to have them impart to their work that same quality which caused me in much younger days to await the Knecht cartoons so eagerly.”79 The brilliant cast of cartoonists at the Chicago Tribune sent a message that reflected both their respect and their sense of humor: “We have seen your stuff and think it’s swell. Why don’t you make a life work of it? To wish you congratulations we can’t because there’s not a cartoonist here who can spell it. Best of luck, cartooner. By the way you haven’t got a spare idea we could use have you?”80 The most highly paid actor in Hollywood, the humorist Will Rogers, wrote, “To my dear companion in public misinformation. Mr. Knecht there is nothing in the whole of news that has the power that a cartoon has. One cartoon is worth ten editorials and one half cartoon is worth 20 Rogers’ gags.”81 Knecht himself would have appreciated the comment that came from the nationally syndicated columnist O.O. McIntyre: “To have worked on one newspaper for twenty-five years means one of two things: Mr. Knecht is an amazingly gifted cartoonist or has something on the publisher.”82 Perhaps the greatest tribute came from his boss—then Courier editor Don Scism:

  When that work is prominently displayed on page one of a newspaper day in and day out for 25 years in the form of art whose reader-interest is exceedingly high, then we know that Karl Knecht’s contribution to the character of The Courier has been a tremendous one. In the case of Karl the man transcends the art. And the art is of a high quality. Karl is not only a good artist, a man of originality and imagination, but he has remained an unspoiled human being. He is what he is. That was true 25 years ago and it is true today. The years have not made of him a mere piece of an orthodox, and often dull, pattern of life that may be covered in a glib classification. He retains the challenging spirit of youth as well as its enthusiasms and forthright honesty of mind.83

  No discussion of his life would be complete with mentioning that Knecht was also a lifelong aficionado of the theater and the circus. From his first experience of a circus in Freeport at the age of seven, he was infatuated. In 1925, he started an organization called the Circus Fans of America and served in various capacities for that group over the years. He began, edited, wrote and drew for their magazine, entitled The White Tops, which was a “publication devoted entirely to circus work.”84 Syndicated columnist O.O. McIntyre called him “the most enthusiastic circus fan in America.”85 Knecht wrote frequently about circuses and drew numerous cartoons that dealt with the subject. In one fine example from 1946, he celebrated 170 years of the circus in America with an excited Uncle Sam joining an enthralled Mr. Public and a variety of men, women and children of all ages sitting rapt in the Big Top. Kay observes, “Geo Washington went often to Ricket’s Circus in Philadelphia.”

  Uncle Sam at the circus, 1946. UE/ EVPL.

  He was also a huge fan of the theater, with this also dating back to childhood. As Phil Ensley said:

  Karl’s interest in show business increased when he attended the Columbia Exposition in Chicago in 1893, where he saw Buffalo Bill, Mark Twain, and Eddie Foy. He earned tickets for theatrical shows by passing out handbills, and by distributing programs and drinking water. This interest in the entertainment world continued throughout his career on The Courier and as correspondent for “Variety” and columnist for “Billboard.”86

  As noted earlier, he spent his very first night in Evansville at the theater, and he wrote a column in the Courier for many years that was entitled, among other things, “Say Kay. What of Shows, Theaters an’ Such!” And of course, he drew many cartoons that featured the theater and those who strode on the stage. His Sunday cartoon—called “Going and Coming” for decades, although it had some other monikers, too—was almost always a collection of small fascinating cameos about many different topics, and it frequently included something theatrical. His cartoon from June 20, 1959, is a celebration of the life of the actress Ethel Barrymore, who had died that year. A wonderful example of Knecht’s work, it contains four drawings of Barrymore, a wealth of historical information and two actual artifacts pasted in. One of them even has a rough Knecht sketch on the front. Fascinatingly, there is a marginal note that says, “The theater and circus always good for ideas.” Knecht’s life and work were certainly proof of that.

  Ethel Barrymore, June 20, 1959. UE/EVPL.

  In 1956, the Courier marked the fiftieth anniversary of Knecht’s arrival at the paper with a cartoon on the front page (which no longer routinely carried them) drawn by Grover Page of the Louisville Courier-Journal. Entitled “An Elephant Never Forgets,” it showed Knecht riding on the trunk of an elephant, carrying a pencil shaped like an elephant hook. The paper reflected on what had happened since his first day on the job:

  Many things have changed since that day in late September of 1906. The Courier has expanded into a metropolitan newspaper, and Evansville is no longer a small city. Four editors have come and gone, a fifth is on the job since Knecht etched on a “chalk plate” his first cartoon for the Tri-State’s largest newspaper. But Knecht—whose KKK-signed drawings have become a durable landmark to folks over much of three states—still is The Courier’s cartoonist. His sketched “editorials” still have the sting of old, and still they convey his love for the city he adopted as “home” so many years ago. The love and respect is not a one-sided affair.87

  The editorial page that day stated that his cartoons had “become as much a part of the Tri-State morning as the breakfast coffee,” and that seems to be a fair analysis. Administrations changed nationally and locally, the paper was bought and sold, world wars came and went, fashions and music and popular culture changed with each decade, but Karl Kae Knecht was there virtually every day, drawing his cartoons. “A cartoonist,” said the editorial, “can be a potent force in shaping public opinion and community thinking—and Karl Kae Knecht has compounded this influence during every one of his fifty years with The Courier. His work has been a blending of craftsmanship and good citizenship, spiced by a gentle, yet penetrating humor and tempered [by] the sound philosophy of a wholesome life.”88 Fine words to mark a very rare professional milestone.

  The final professional milestone was the finishing post, as just four years later Karl Kae Knecht retired. Declaring that it was “time for less arduous pursuits,” he submitted his last cartoon and walked away on June 1, 1960. The last cartoon was captioned “—And With This, We Crawl Out From Under” and depicted Knecht emerging from under his artist’s desk, to which was stuck a note saying “For Sale! (Museum Piece). Drawing Board Used by K.K.K. at Courier Since 1906.” He reflected on his life of cartooning, and on retirement, with these striking words: “The consciousness of having to have a new cartoon idea every day is always prevalent during one’s waking hours. Not to have to keep that in mind in all that one reads, hears, sees, and even dreams will be a relief.”89 “Few men,” said Courier editor Earl E. Shaw, “are given an opportunity such as that enjoyed by Karl to be a force for good in the community in which they live.”90 Few men, of any generation, seized that opportunity with as much activist vigor as did Karl Kae Knecht.

  Karl Kae Knecht toward the end of his career. WL.

  Chapter 2

  RACIAL STEREOTYPES IN THE CARTOONS OF KARL KAE KNECHT

  One of the hardest issues to discuss in the art of Karl Kae Knecht is his use of racist stereotypes, but it would be disingenuous to analyze his cartoons without acknowledging their presence. It is also important to make the distinction between his using racist stereotypes in
cartoons and being racist himself. As will be seen, he drew powerful images against the Ku Klux Klan. He also spoke out against lynching and he supported the 1957 Civil Rights Bill, the first civil rights legislation since the nineteenth century. As has been seen, he performed at the African American USO during World War II, when Evansville was still rigidly segregated. In 1914, he delivered a Chalk Talk at the Liberty Baptist Church, and according to the Courier, “The entertainment is to be under the auspices of the colored YMCA, and from all indications Knecht will have a representative audience of colored folks.” His long 1934 review of an all African American stage show called Green Pastures contained not a hint of racism.91 In a segregated and routinely racist environment, there is no evidence to suggest that Knecht acted in a racist manner toward the people of color whom he encountered.