Winsor McCay's The Sinking of The Alpena

Winsor McCay's Beginning

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Winsor McCay's

THE SINKING OF THE ALPENA

37 years before illustrator Winsor McCay created the Sinking of The Lusitania animated film, he drew a picture of another vessel, The Alpena, on his classroom blackboard. The Alpena had gone down in a storm on Lake Michigan on October 15, 1880, taking all 80 aboard to their watery graves. 13-year-old Winsor McCay, attending Spring Lake (Michigan) Union School, was given permission by his teacher to draw the ship in its struggle. A photographer came in an took a photograph of the illustration and prints were made available for sale, with young McCay receiving a royalty. The Sinking of The Alpena became Winsor McCay's first commercial illustration.

This book presents scans of the original photos and tells the story behind the illustration, and his the boy's namesake, Zena G. Winsor, was connected to the tragedy and drawing. Also, the book resolves the issue of McCay's birth year with a forensic examination of the 1870 Spring Lake census and presents photos of McCay's boyhood home and school. In addition, was an influence in the creation of Little Nemo a classmate of McCay's who became famous nationally for a sleepwalk nighttime adventure?

Don't miss this historical book. See McCay's first illustration created in 1880 for the first time since it was originally released that year. 

Author Kevin Scott Collier writes an animation book series for Jerry Beck's Cartoon Research organization and is an animation history columnist for Animation World Network. Kevin also is the author of many other titles featuring classic films, history, and personalities. See all of the other Cartoon Research books here. Follow the author on Facebook here! Visit the Author's Homepage here!