Jolly Bill Steinke Original Art Caricature Drawing Signed Circus Saints Sinners

Description

Original hardbound book Circus Saints and Sinners The Comical Chronicles of The Dexter Fellows Tent, 1957.
Book's cover has a tipped in illustration by Henry Hartman.
This book is rare as it has an original hand drawn art work done by one of the artists who
illustrated much of 200 page book, Jolly Bill Steinke as he signed it and message for Will Aubrey
who owned book. Jolly Bill Stienke and Henry Hartman were art editors for book.
Tag inside is from The Press and Union League Club of San Francisco. It is stamped
on tag The Will Aubrey Memorial Library and bottom of tag written in blue ink Will Aubrey 1958.
I did see this about Will Aubrey who had bit parts in a few movie shorts in the late 20's
and 30's he has done some work in film productions..  Will Aubrey was born on February 8, 1892 in Lithuania as
Will Aubrey Gittleman. He was an actor, known for A Night on the Bowery (1929),
'Tis Spring (1933) and Paris in New York (1936). He died on January 3, 1958 in San Francisco, California.
He either signed this book as Will Aubrey or this book was given to him and was donated after his death as
a presentation to the Press and Union League Club. The book copyright 1957  has a section on
Salvador Dali, many B & W photos and
illustrations and cartoon sketches, caricatures inside by Jolly Bill Steinke. Supposedly he was one
of the charter members of the Circus Saints and Sinners and big charitble person. Giving some of his bio here..
I am sending it along as found online:
William Steinke was born on November 25, 1887 in Slatington, Pennsylvania, near Allentown. In his early working life,
Steinke was a traveling sales representative for the National Biscuit Co. in Maine. On one of these trips he met
and eventually married the former Alice M. Staples. Later, Steinke worked for Pennsylvania newspapers,
including the Allentown Democrat and Scranton Republican, as a cartoonist and reporter. While at these newspapers
he gained a reputation as a practical joker and was apparently much beloved by his newspaper colleagues.
He was also a comedic performer and popular public figure.
In the 1920s, Steinke was hired by a Washington, D.C. press syndicate to cartoon various politicians and
government officials. In the course of this assignment, he met President Calvin Coolidge and made a sketch of him
that made the famously dour Coolidge laugh. From then on Steinke was known as the man who could make President Coolidge
laugh. Steinke made the jump to New York first at station WJZ and then over the NBC Radio Network in 1927,
where he remained for 34 years. Among Steinke’s popular radio programs were the Jolly Bill and Jane and
Rise and Shine radio programs that aired mornings on NBC Radio. The name of his radio persona, Jolly Bill,
became the name by which he was best known by friends and fans alike. In 1933, his voice was the first to be
broadcasted over NBC Radio from the new RCA Building in New York. Steinke also continued cartooning,
creating daily cartoons for Nick Kenny’s column in the New York Mirror for many years. He also moved to New York,
living in New Rochelle for many years.
Steinke kept up a busy schedule of personal appearances with his comedic show, Never a Dull Moment,
which featured Steinke caricatures of audience members drawn on his portable easel.
Jolly Bill Steinke was a charter member of the Circus Saints and Sinners Club in New York. This group,
which staged dinners and other events, raised money to help support injured and indigent circus performers.
Steinke served as the master of ceremonies for many of these events during the 1930s.
Steinke was also well known for the many drawings he left on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the Palm Restaurant
in New York City, which can still be seen. During World War II, Steinke toured veteran’s hospitals as an entertainer.
By the late 1940s it was clear that the entertainment wave of the future was television.
Jolly Bill Steinke successfully made the transition, working in children’s television in New York, San Francisco,
and Maine. At press club dinners and other events, Steinke’s impromptu caricatures of the people, both famous and common,
continued to be a hit.
Book is aged and covers a little dinged up, not bad. Front cover a little loose from binding but pages are
tight and nice, pretty clean. Edge of books's page are stamped Press and Union League Club.
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Jeff