[CARTOON ART]. GOULD, Chester (1900-1985). Very early pencil drawing of Dick Tracy. N.p., ca 1931. "ONE OF THE EARLIEST KNOWN DRAWINGS OF HIS INFAMOUS CRIME FIGHTER"
Visible 4 7/16 x 4 1/2 in. pencil drawing (light creasing, some residue/scuffing). Matted and framed (not examined out of frame).
INSCRIBED BY GOULD: "To Dick Hast my Side kick - Dick Tracy + Chester Gould". The sketch is a profile portrait of the famous detective with his signature fedora.
Included with the drawings are letters and documents from several experts, including Beth Vargo, Director of the Chester Gould Memorial Museum Foundation who consulted with Gould's daughter. She, among others, speculates that "Dick Hast" might be a reference to Dick Hartly, Gould's assistant during the early 1930s. Garyn Roberts states "This piece is consistent with Chester Gould's drawing (and signature) of about 1931 (October of that year was when "Tracy" debuted in the *Detroit Mirror.*) Jeffrey M. Ellinport of Gaithersburg, MD states it "surely is an early example and certainly the earliest I've ever seen. Next to yours the earliest I have laid eyes on was one dated 1934." Also included is an "Assurance of Authentication" by Tracy-authority Matt Masterson who states "this drawing is most assuredly one of the earliest known drawings of his infamous crime fighter."
Property of a Midwest Collector
![[CARTOON ART]. GOULD, Chester (1900-1985). Very early pencil drawing of Dick Tracy. N.p., ca 1931. "ONE OF THE EARLIEST KNOWN DRAWINGS OF HIS INFAMOUS CRIME FIGHTER"](https://assets.basta.app/accounts/4832eb18-f9a7-4c12-8295-871abe232696/images/eb409481-a140-41d3-b066-d41524336a3c?format=auto&width=1080&quality=75)
![[CARTOON ART]. GOULD, Chester (1900-1985). Very early pencil drawing of Dick Tracy. N.p., ca 1931. "ONE OF THE EARLIEST KNOWN DRAWINGS OF HIS INFAMOUS CRIME FIGHTER"](https://assets.basta.app/accounts/4832eb18-f9a7-4c12-8295-871abe232696/images/0a12b40a-51df-46d5-bb38-755e18e21686?format=auto&width=1080&quality=75)