1900s Multi-Panel Pans

Listed in publication order.

(1901-1905 None posted)

1906

Two-panel pan sequence from Kin-der-Kids, 1906, by Lyonel Feininger

1906 – From The Kind-der-Kids comic strip by Lyonel Feininger (this image and the next were scanned from the book The Comic Strip Art of Lyonel Feininger, 1994 Kitchen Sink Press.) Feininger (1871-1956) was a great fine artist, whose expressionist paintings, drawings and prints are awesome – representational, but very stylized. He produced some very inventive, very beautiful comics around the turn of the century. These are the oldest multi-panel pan sequences I’ve found.

Two two-panel pan sequences from Wee Willie Winkies World,1906, by Lyonel Feininger

1906 – From Wee Willy Winkies World comic strip by Lyonel Feininger. Feininger is a great fine artist who produced some very inventive, very beautiful comics around the turn of the century. Though there’s not a lot of foreground action in these panels, but I think the backgrounds are sumptuous – with beautiful cartooned trees and clouds.

(1907 None posted)

1908

Two-panel pan sequence from Little Nemo in Slumberland comic strip by Winsor McCay

July 26 1908 – from Little Nemo in Slumberland, by Winsor McCay.

For many years this was the oldest multi-panel pan sequence I was aware. It’s from Winsor McCay’s newspaper comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland. It’s a very famous iconic strip that’s been reproduced all over and even parodied.

Winsor McCay (1867-1934) was a phenomenal comic artist who did a lot of pioneering work in comics visual vocabulary, including a great deal of play with panel size and shape to accentuate narrative imagery.

These two panels form a great multi-panel image, with buildings all in perspective and the full moon shared across the gutter. The curves of the bedpost legs are beautiful.

Two-panel pan sequence from The Explorigator comic strip, 1908, by Harry Grant Dart

July 26 1908 – from the newspaper comic strip The Explorigator – by Harry Grant Dart (scanned from the book Art Out of Time: Unknown Comics Visionaries 1900-1969, by Dan Nadel, published by Abrams, 2006.) I confess that I was unfamiliar with Harry Grant Dart (1869-1938) until I came across his work in Dan Nadel’s book. His linework is very crisp, and he’s inventive (I like the sea monsters in the left panel.) His multi-pans are good, but overall his panel vocabulary isn’t especially inventive (from what I’ve seen.)

Two-panel pan sequence from The Explorigator comic strip, c. July 1908, by Harry Grant Dart

c. July 1908 – from the newspaper comic strip The Explorigator – by Harry Grant Dart (scanned from the book Art Out of Time: Unknown Comics Visionaries 1900-1969, by Dan Nadel, published by Abrams, 2006.) Another Harry Grant Dart piece, which I don’t know much about. It’s interesting to me that Dart chooses to deliberately overlap the bayonet (foreground) across both panels, but not the titular air ship (background) which is only in the second panel.

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