OMG! I cannot believe I found this Gem! Non-Disney Piece

[star-phoenix]

I am sooooooo excited to find such an amazing and incredibly rare cel. Here is one of the earliest known surviving cels of Popeye and Olive Oyl to have survived. This cel is from the very first episode of the Popeye the Sailor series that debuted September 29, 1933. The best part is it is in its original unrestored condition!!! I have been searching for an original cel of Popeye from this time period. This is like a dream come true for me! I am still dancing for joy!

http://starphoenix.rubberslug.com/galle ... mID=350307

[sensei]

Congratulations! I recall also the "Three Black Crows" scene from Dumbo, which uses "coon" stereotypes that were common in movies of that time. (The noted cartoonist, Walt Kelly, famous later for Pogo, was one of the key animators.) In my American Studies class I used to cover racial stereotypes as we got into the 1934 film version of Show Boat, where you have Mammy and Coon scenes (Paul Robeson plays the coon, but still...), plus a hair-raising scene in which the lead character does a blackface number (with banjo) in front of a jubilant white audience on the ground floor and a grimly accepting Black audience up in the balcony or "Ethnic Heaven." It's a subject that needs to be confronted and not swept under the counter. And I know at least one African American academic colleague of mine who would have loved to beat you out for that cel. She has one of the country's richest collections of racist souvenirs and folk art.

[AerynAerie]

Congrats !!!!
I happened to see this one when you updated on RS. I never knew that about Disney's older shows!! I love how you provide background info with your cels. It's really interesting!

p.s. I LOVE the pretty white centaurette though...

[star-phoenix]

I am sooooooo excited to find such an amazing and incredibly rare cel. Here is one of the earliest known surviving cels of Popeye and Olive Oyl to have survived. This cel is from the very first episode of the Popeye the Sailor series that debuted September 29, 1933. The best part is it is in its original unrestored condition!!! I have been searching for an original cel of Popeye from this time period. This is like a dream come true for me! I am still dancing for joy!

http://starphoenix.rubberslug.com/galle ... mID=350307

[Rekka Alexiel]

Geesh that's crazy to see something that old look so great, looks like there's hardly any problem with color fading, etc.! Awesome find!

[star-phoenix]

Generally, with these old cels, the paint and lines do not "fade" per say.... The cel itself turns yellow with age and oxygenation. And the colors tend to reflect a yellow hue as shown in this cel (since the cel is "in front" of the paint in the front view). It gets way more distinct when they are multi-layer cels, although, this one particular cel is only a single layer. I was really surprised to know the paint was not restored. The crinkling is very normal for a cel this age, and honestly, I have never seen an original unrestored, uncut cel that did not have the crinkling effect. Really cool find!!!!

[toonybabe]

That's a really awesome find Star-Phoenix! Congratulations! Your cel is 79 years old!

[rosesleep]

Gorgeous piece, hon! Worth every pretty penny! I was looking forward to seeing this piece in your gallery, Popeye art are extremely scarce and Olive is far more rare, so to have both of them in a unison production piece is a treasure never to be sold! Congratulations!

[frozentime]

Amazing find! Congratulations for acquiring that piece of history!