Monday Matchup

Here on our blog, we occasionally feature “matchups” that showcase relationships between different items in our collection. Today’s matchup? Cartoons from the Hickory Democrat and information from Charlotte City Directories.

A number of community newspapers on DigitalNC have cartoons; not many of those cartoons describe local content, which is why the recently published Hickory Democrat caught our eye. Scanning front page after front page during 1906-1907, right under the masthead, are cartoons commenting on items of US and local significance. They’re signed “Hutch” and sometimes say “Courtesy The Charlotte News.”

The usual Googling didn’t turn up much, and we couldn’t find any reference to Hutch in the Hickory Democrat besides the cartoons, so we turned to The Charlotte News. From the News, we were able to piece together more about the artist.

Hutch was the pen name of cartoonist Andrew C. Hutchinson, a Charlotte resident who began drawing cartoons for the News in his late teens. His talent was well respected, especially in light of his age. The News occasionally has articles related to Hutch’s career, mentioning that his cartoons were reprinted around the state (as in the Hickory Democrat) and beyond (the Atlanta Journal republished a cartoon in 1909).

The first reference to Hutch as a cartoonist is in the August 25, 1903 News, which states “Mr. Andrew Hutchinson, Charlotte’s clever young cartoonist, is seriously ill with malarial fever.” The first of his cartoons we located in the News are in the May 30, 1906 issue, which sports two on the front page:

Charlotte News, 1906-05-30, page 1. Available through Newspapers.com.

Charlotte News 1915-01-16, page 12. Available through Newspapers.com.

Sometime between March 1910 and December 1911, Hutch moved to New York to draw for the New York World. The clipping at right, from the January 16, 1914 News, proudly describes Hutch’s New York career, which was flourishing as he provided content for Life, Judge, Satire, and The Yonkers Daily News, and as he signed on to work for the Hearst Corporation. 

What else do we know about Hutch? A 1910 Charlotte City Directory lists “Hutchinson, Andrew C. Jr. cartoonist” residing at 711 W. Trade Street. It looks like he’s there with his father and mother*, Andrew and Antoinette Hutchinson, as well as two brothers (James L. and John W.). He isn’t listed in the 1911 directory, which makes sense with his purported move to New York. From that 1911 directory, we unfortunately find out that his father passed away as Antoinette is listed as a widow.

This is as far as we got in tracking down Hutch. His cartoons don’t appear in the Hickory Democrat past 1907. We don’t know how long he worked in New York, how his career progressed, or where he ended up. If you have any clues, let us know.

*We know that Andrew, Antoinette, James and John are family from the 1910 census record, which also tells us that Andrew Jr. was born around 1886. Census Record Citation: Year: 1910; Census Place: Charlotte Ward 3, Mecklenburg, North Carolina; Roll: T624_1121; Page: 19A; Enumeration District: 0102; FHL microfilm:1375134

Issues of the Erwin Chatter and The Cooleemee Journal newspapers have just been added to DigitalNC. Both titles were recommended for digitization by Davie County Public Library.

The Cooleemee Journal was a weekly community paper. We’ve added issues from 1965-1970. The later issues are especially full of large and candid photographs of local events and citizens. The entire run contains local Cooleemee news.

Front page, Cooleemee Journal, September 23, 1970

Cooleemee Picnic, August 1970

The Erwin Chatter was a publication of The Erwin Cotton Mills Company. Like many company newspapers, it describes the activities of the employees both at the mill and beyond – with reports from the different departments alongside announcements of marriages, events, and local school news. We’ve posted monthly issues from 1944 until the Chatter was discontinued as a cost-cutting measure in March, 1954.

As we at the Digital Heritage Center have pondered the question Our State has lain before us – Pie or Cake? Cake or Pie? – we decided to don our fedoras, flip open our notebooks, and delve back into our collection of North Carolina newspapers to see when and how these dueling desserts have turned up in press history. So, what did our decisively unscientific survey* turn up?

First Mention in the Papers

Winner: Pie, 1853

Pumpkin Pie, to be specific. It was mentioned as being on the menu in the December 1, 1853 (p.2/col.2) issue of the Fayetteville Observer, when describing a dinner of “Eighteen States” to be held in Albany, NY in honor of Connecticut. However, you may be arguing that you want to know about mentions in a NORTH CAROLINA context. Then we present to you:

First Mention in the Papers, Related to a North Carolina Event

Winner: Cake, 1855

The best Pound Cake, Fruit Cake, or Sponge Cake could each win you a premium of $0.25  at the Robeson Agricultural Fair of 1855, which is the earliest mention of pies or cakes we can find in relation to a North Carolina event. The Richmond County Fair of 1857 gave out prizes for the best Pound, Fruit, and Sponge Cakes, as well as the best Potato, Whortleberry, or Green Apple Pie. Our state fair only began asking for entries for cakes in 1870, with Sponge, Fruit, or Plain Cake.

Earliest Recipe Found

Winner: Cake, 1878

Cold Water Cake Recipe, Chatham Record, 10-10-1878

The Chatham Record, October 10, 1878 (p.4/col.2) lists “receipts” for a few cakes, although none of them are battling it out in the Our State contest. You’ll see Cold-Water Cake (right), Currant Cake, and a Lemon Meringue, the latter of which we took at first glance to be a pie but the bottom is lined with sponge cake so we counted it as cake. This is the earliest actual recipe we could locate in the collection.

Pie isn’t far behind, though. The January 2, 1879 (p.4/col.1) issue of The Chatham Record lists a receipt for Sweet Potato Pie, another North Carolina favorite.

Most Difficult / Largest Dessert

Shopping list for a 13 lb Fruit Cake, Asheboro Courier, 06-01-1911

Winner: Recipe for a 13-lb Fruit Cake from 1911

“Do not attempt to make the cake yourself unless you are experienced in this line; for this is the test of cake making…” Six months before Christmas, The Courier of Asheboro, June 1, 1911 (p.3/col.5), posted an examination of the making of Fruit Cake, complete with a recipe for a 13-pound version that would set you back $2.73 at prevailing prices. However, the author (Dorothy Avery Howard) warns you that Fruit Cake is no task for a young bride, as it is “called one of the most difficult to undertake.” Luckily, she provides a tried and true recipe which you can find in the paper.

Is North Carolina an Angel or a Devil’s Food Cake state?

Winner: Angel

Between mentions in social columns or posted recipes, North Carolina is an Angel Food Cake state by a margin of 6:1. Either we truly side with the Angels, or we keep our Devil’s Food Cake consumption under wraps…

Mrs. Marie Fogle, Firestone News, 07-25-1953

Best Photograph of a Chef with Her Dessert

Winner: Mrs. Fogle and “Mary’s Pound Cake”

In the Firestone News, July 25, 1953 (p.6) we find Mrs. Marie Fogle who produces “a wide assortment of tempting, eye-appealing cakes.” The recipe for her favorite pound cake is included in the article. She is called an artist with a spatula, and from the looks of the cake in the photo we’d take one right now.

Overall Winner?

Heck if we know. We love them both and now we’re pretty sure North Carolina chefs have been mastering them all for years. If you can beat our findings using newspapers on DigitalNC.org, get in touch and we’ll dub you master chef.

* margin of error +/- 3.14159

Issues of The Danbury Reporter from 1872-1945 are now available on DigitalNC. A weekly paper published in Danbury, NC (Stokes County), the Reporter is a mix of local, county and national news, with an emphasis on farming and politics.

This title is part of our Newspaper Digitization project, and was selected by the Danbury Public Library, part of the Northwestern Regional Library.