Awkward Moments of the Past: Introducing Paul Fung

0 Conversations

Awkward Moments of the Past: Introducing Paul Fung

Do you have older relatives who embarrass you with their retrograde ways of describing things? We have this in the internet archives, too. Here is a brief bio on pioneer cartoonist Paul Fung, taken from Cartoons Magazine in 1913. They called the bio 'The Only Chinese-American Cartoonist in Captivity', and apparently, they meant it kindly. Cue eyerolls.

Paul Fung (1897-1944) was the son of a Chinese clergyman. Born in Seattle, Paul Fun moved to China with his missionary parents when he was five. As an adult, he returned to the country of his birth, where he became a successful cartoonist. One of his comic strips was called Dumb Dora. It was a hit back when people liked 'dizzy blonde' jokes. Of course, nobody tells jokes like that today…

Fung's son, Paul Fung, Jr, also became a cartoonist. He worked with Chic Young on the even more famous comic Blondie. Blondie began life as a flapper – her last name was Boopadoop – but later morphed into the sensible housewife in charge of her much ditzier husband Dagwood and their two kids, whom she managed with the help of Daisy the dog, also a sensible mother. Feminism advanced slowly in the 20th Century.

Here's the bio of Paul Fung, Sr.

A bio of Paul Fung, Sr
The Literary Corner Archive

Dmitri Gheorgheni

26.03.18 Front Page

Back Issue Page


Bookmark on your Personal Space


Conversations About This Entry

There are no Conversations for this Entry

Entry

A87906522

Infinite Improbability Drive

Infinite Improbability Drive

Read a random Edited Entry


Disclaimer

h2g2 is created by h2g2's users, who are members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of the Not Panicking Ltd. Unlike Edited Entries, Entries have not been checked by an Editor. If you consider any Entry to be in breach of the site's House Rules, please register a complaint. For any other comments, please visit the Feedback page.

Write an Entry

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."

Write an entry
Read more