The Illustrations of James F. Zumwalt

While working to identify the contents of a box, I came across a stack of Courier newspaper clippings, each featuring a historical cartoon. Intrigued, I decided to do some research. What exactly was the story behind these cartoons?

James F. Zumwalt, the creator of these cartoons, sought to show readers what the scenes of yesteryear looked like. However, this series wasn’t his first delve into the cartoon world. When he was in high school, his first illustration was published in the school’s annual publication. He also did a stint as a sports cartoonist for the Peoria Star.

You might be wondering how he knew what yesteryear looked like. In an August 16, 1953, Courier article about the comics, he says, “I’m asking all of you Courier readers throughout the area to send in ideas and old pictures for use in the cartoons.” Readers were further directed to send an image, along with a piece of paper with their name and address, to “Old Time Cartoons, Champaign-Urbana Courier.”

Now, without further ado, here are some scenes from yesteryear!

ar's Sketches." The illustration portrays a pedestrian bridge going over railroad tracks. Text on the cartoon reads, "Folks were really afraid of trains in the 1860's - shown here is the overhead pass over the Illinois Central tracks with circular stairs on each side. People would use this bridge rather than risk crossing the open tracks even though a train wasn't in sight! Maybe they lived longer that way! Visible in picturA black and white cartoon illustration titled "Yesteryear's Sketches." The illustration portrays a pedestrian bridge going over railroad tracks. Text on the cartoon reads, "Folks were really afraid of trains in the 1860's - shown here is the overhead pass over the Illinois Central tracks with circular stairs on each side. People would use this bridge rather than risk crossing the open tracks even though a train wasn't in sight! Maybe they lived longer that way! Visible in picture is Doane House - Zumwalt."

A black and white cartoon illustration of a brick sidewalk lined by trees. The text on the cartoon reads, "When sidewalks got a lot of use. In 1914, couples strolling in the moonlight probably did so out of necessity because fancy two-toned convertibles hadn't came along yet, and hiring buggies at the livery stable cost money, but on the other hand, so does gasoline. Tree-lined brick walk shown here was lover's lane. It was the south side of Daniel St. looking west from Wright, most of the trees are gone now, a victim of the Dutch Elm disease, no doubt. And concrete replaced brick walks - ah progress! (From original photo by B.A. Strauch).

A black and white illustrated cartoon of a group of children standing around a short wall made of snow. Two houses are visible in the background. The text on the cartoon reads, "Unconditional Surrender? No, this defiant-looking group of warriors merely held their fire (of snowballs of course) until the camera could record this historical view, then hostilities with the enemy continued until a warm spring sun thawed the fortifications. Shown here are a group of Champaign youngsters of 1914 taking advantage of a late spring snowfall to stage one more snowball battle before declaring a truce over a game of marbles.

From our James F. Zumwalt vertical file to our book titled “Look into Yesteryear,” which features a sampling of the cartoons, the Archives has you covered if you’d like to see more of Zumwalt’s work. Or, if this has inspired you to draw your own scenes of yesteryear, we have plenty of historic photos to browse through, both online on our Flickr page and in-person at the Archives.

-Shalini Smith

Archives Librarian