Gluyas Williams Cartoons — Ourselves as Others See Us (1928)
The complete run on Cosmopolitan, 1928 — the only merged reproductions known to exist.
The complete run of Gluyas Williams's double-page illustrations from the series "Ourselves as Others See Us," published in Cosmopolitan in 1928. A single issue of Cosmopolitan in that period could contain a double spread by Williams, one by Anne Fish, and one by Charles Dana Gibson. The standard was not accidental.
Cosmopolitan printed these illustrations across two separate pages, adding a blank gutter between them. Ikonographia digitally merged the two halves to restore each spread as Williams drew it. No other merged reproductions are known to exist.
The 1929 and 1930 runs follow.
Gluyas Williams Cartoons for Cosmpolitan 1928.
Gluyas Williams was an American Cartoonist whose best work lasted from the 1920s to the 1940s. His most notable work was for Life, The New Yorker, and Cosmopolitan.
His unique style combined tiny, apparently fragile lines with solid, flat blacks without detail or shadows. The subjects were social situations where many people gathered, reaching their peak in the complex double pages. Some cartoons display hundreds of characters with mesmerizing compositions, anyone with a unique and robust personality.
We cannot write more without copying the splendid, ultimate essay of Robert C. Harvey. that we strongly encourage you to read. He called Williams the "Master of Complexity and Simplicity."
This story features the entire run of double-page illustrations published in Cosmopolitan in 1928. This was the golden age of the magazine's illustration, featuring splendid plates from artists such as Gluyas Williams, Charles Dana Gibson, and Anne Harriet Fish in the same issues. These masterpieces finally fell into the Public Domain on January 1, 2024.
Going to the Movies.
From "Ourselves as Others See Us" series. Published on Cosmopolitan in May 1928.
Bridge.
From "Ourselves as Others See Us" series. Published on Cosmopolitan in June 1928
The One-Arm Lunch.
Published on Cosmopolitan in July 1928.
The Picnic.
Published on Cosmopolitan in August 1928
The End of Vacation.
Published on Cosmopolitan in September 1928.
The After Dinner Speech.
Published on Cosmopolitan in October 1928.
Football.
Published on Cosmopolitan in November 1928.
In the Diner.
Published on Cosmopolitan in December 1928.
How we reproduced the double-page images.
Cosmopolitan printed these double-page illustrations across two separate pages, adding a blank gutter between them. The original compositions were designed as a single image — split for production, never reassembled.
Ikonographia digitally merged the two halves to restore each spread as Williams drew it. These are the only merged reproductions in existence.
In the bound magazine, the image was visually correct. However, the plain reproduction of the two mages, including the blank gutter, was unacceptable.