Urban Anxieties
In these two cityscapes, Winsor McCay, a prolific cartoonist known for his striking graphic style, highlights sources of urban anxiety. The rampant social ills of the 1920s included bootleg liquor, violent crime, drugs, and fraudulent money-making schemes. A decade later, McCay depicts an alarming mechanical beast labeled “technocracy,” a 1930s concept advocating management of society by technical experts. Between 1913 and 1934 McCay drew bold, fine-lined editorial cartoons for leading newspapers including New York American and New York Herald-Tribune.
In these two cityscapes, Winsor McCay, a prolific cartoonist known for his striking graphic style, highlights sources of urban anxiety. The rampant social ills of the 1920s included bootleg liquor, violent crime, drugs, and fraudulent money-making schemes. A decade later, McCay depicts an alarming mechanical beast labeled “technocracy,” a 1930s concept advocating management of society by technical experts. Between 1913 and 1934 McCay drew bold, fine-lined editorial cartoons for leading newspapers including <em>New York American</em> and <em>New York Herald-Tribune</em>.