Fu-Manchu
Date1913
Artist
Joseph Clement Coll
(American illustrator, etcher, 1881–1921)
Illustration Citation"Redmoat," by Sax Rohmer, in Collier's Weekly, March 15, 1913
MediumInk on illustration board
Dimensionssheet: 9 1/2 × 7 5/8 in. (24.1 × 19.4 cm)
Credit LineGift of Helen Farr Sloan, 1988
Object number1988-99
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextThis illustration is from the Fu-Manchu magazine series by British author Arthur Sarsfield Ward (pseudonym Sax Rohmer); the series was later published in the United States as the novel The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, and also took the form of radio broadcasts, movies, comics and eventually television. The Chinese title character was an international criminal, engaging in various intricate plots against individuals and governments. J. C. Coll illustrated the stories in Collier's Weekly from 1913 to 1921. The son of a bookbinder, Coll taught himself to draw by looking at works by illustrators such as Howard Pyle and Edwin Austin Abbey. He mastered a vigorous pen and ink technique, perfecting an energetic style that made him a popular choice for adventure stories.
