AN ARTIST'S ATTIC, part 2

Leonard Starr received thousands of letters from fans.  Some of his correspondence was from fellow artists, such as Alex Toth or Milton Caniff.  In an era before email, their letters often came adorned with funny sketches.

Sometimes cartoonists sent him originals inscribed with messages:

 

But the vast majority of the letters were from everyday readers around the country.  Many of the letters he never got around to opening, let alone answering.  I was intrigued to find hundreds of them  stashed in bags or boxes in Starr's attic.  Apparently they were "temporarily" placed there to get them out of the way and remained there for decades until Starr passed away.  I  went through some of them and soon realized why Starr didn't open all his mail. 

 

 

I can't say this experience improved my view of human nature, but it did help me understand the experience of a mid-century cartoonist.