(2) Original Winsor McCay production drawings from Gertie the Dinosaur. ...

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(2) Original Winsor McCay production drawings from Gertie the Dinosaur. (2) Original Winsor McCay production drawings from Gertie the Dinosaur. (Winsor McCay, 1914) (2) Rare and historical production drawings from Winsor McCay's groundbreaking film Gertie the Dinosaur. McCay, an accomplished illustrator and Vaudeville performer, made 2 animated films previously. The first, Little Nemo (using characters from his popular newspaper strip), debuted in 1911 and used 4,000 animation drawings. McCay hand-colored the 35mm frames to achieve a striking effect and used the film in his vaudeville act. An experiment in movement with no real storyline, it was well received and McCay began work on his second film, The Story of a Mosquito, which took one year to complete. The Story of a Mosquito tells a comic tale of a mosquito's encounter with a drunk. While also a big hit, theatre patrons suspected McCay was performing some sort of trick with wires. Motion pictures were quite new and movie audiences were naive and still getting accustomed to the medium. The idea of a drawing coming to life was unheard of. McCay decided to animate a Dinosaur to prove that his drawings moved. Thus, in 1913 McCay began to animate Gertie the Dinosaur. He enlisted the help of a young neighbor, John A. Fitzsimmons who traced backgrounds onto rice paper while McCay did all the principle drawings. 10,000 drawings were inked on rice paper and mounted on cardboard for registration. In this way, McCay was able to flip drawings through a primitive machine to check his work. With nothing but his own experience to rely on, McCay produced an astonishing piece of animation that holds up even to today's standards. McCay painstakingly animated details such as particles of dirt falling, and water dripping. He gave Gertie personality and emotions. We see her eating, drinking, playing, and even crying. In February of 1914, Gertie the Dinosaur debuted in Chicago as part of McCay's vaudeville act. McCay would appear onstage next to a movie screen and brandishing a whip. He would speak to the audience and explain how animated films were made, photographed, and projected. He would then introduce Gertie as, "the only Dinosaur in captivity". At the crack of his whip, the film would begin. The act was an instant sensation and Gertie became one of the first cartoon "stars". No film exists of McCay's act, but in September of 1914, a film with a live-action prologue and epilogue was produced in which McCay makes a bet with friends that he can bring a Dinosaur to life. McCay's stage dialogue with Gertie was replaced with inter-titles. The film retained much of its charm. A film with a "star" and a storyline, Gertie the Dinosaur became a landmark in the history of animation. Of the 10,000 drawings used to make the film, only around 400 are known to have survived. McCay went on to create several more animated films, and was one of the first to use cels rather than paper. Gertie still stands as his masterpiece and the most influential animated film of all time. Accomplished in ink on rice paper tipped to board, Gertie measures 3.5 x 6.5 in. on one drawing and 4 x 5.5 in. on the other Overall dimensions 6.5 x 8.5 in. Sequence numbers in lower right corners.