Billy DeBeck's Continental Hotel

Howard Lowery auctioned off a group of 18 sketch pages by Billy DeBeck, the creator of the classic comic strip Barney Google, approximately 30 years ago. There was little description that accompanied the artwork and not all of the pieces were pictured, but they appeared to be either character development studies or sketches that DeBeck did while sitting in a hotel lobby. It's entirely possible they were a combination of the two. In any event, I was the under bidder on the lot and never saw them again, until 2007.  The group of DeBeck sketches resurfaced and I was given the opportunity to purchase them. I didn't miss out on my second chance. 

The sketch pages are really quite lovely. They show DeBeck's wonderful facility at capturing figural attitude in gesture drawing. Some of the pieces are reminiscent of the Honoré Daumier's work, the French printmaker, caricaturist, painter and sculptor. Others have the quality of Phil May's work, the ground-breaking 19th century British cartoonist who DeBeck so admired. DeBeck was such a fan of May's work that he had a 19 year old Fred Lasswell copying May's and C.D. Gibson's work, to better understand what great penmanship looked and felt like.  Then there is DeBeck's own style. You can see so much of the type of characters that inhabited Barney Google in these sketches, from cops and hotel-types, to sharps and con men. When DeBeck was on, and when he was healthy he usually was, he could sum up so much information with so few means. That ability comes across beautifully in these drawings.

As far as where and when these were done, I can only hazard guesses. As all of the pieces are done on the stationary of Beau-Belle Products, Inc., a New York City cosmetics company.  The company was located at 11 West 42nd street.  Up until 1930 or so, there was a Hotel Continental in New York, located at Broadway and 41st street, about three blocks from Beau-Belle Products, on the other side of Bryant Park.  The hotel was destroyed by fire around 1930.  In the 1920s, DeBeck had an apartment in New York on Park avenue, as well as a house in St. Petersburg, Florida.  My friend Sy visited DeBeck at his Florida studio in 1935 and I have the memento of his visit.  It's quite possible that DeBeck spent time in the lobby of the Hotel Continental while in New York City, sketching the different characters, coming up with ideas for Barney Google, or simply for his own pleasure.  Taken in total, the characters seem like they are ripe for a Broadway show, right on 42nd street.

The Hotel Continental on a 1920s postcard

A newspaper ad for the Hotel Continental

Beau-Belle Products, Inc. stationary.

DeBeck's drawing of the Continental Hotel, which has more of a European flavor to it than the one located in New York City.  You'll note that the use of flags is similar to the other images of the hotel.

The lobby of the Continental Hotel, with Scrub the bellboy, and Cap'n Bull Idaho, head bellman.  

"Meetcha at the Continental" pictures a group of men in the bar, with a wonderful foreground character anchoring the whole image.  A drawing like this has the feel of Phil May's figures in the background, with the use of flat shapes of tone.

DeBeck sketching assorted characters. Such lovely gestural line work capturing so much information.  The small figure sweeping the floor and the guy with his hat in his hand convey such wonderful figural attitude and movement.  Some of these, if not all, surely seem to have been drawn from life.

"Crocker Yates -- Hasn't been out of the hotel in seventeen years".  Strong pencil lines, supported by brief hits of shadow and color, help to convey solid mass in this figure.  Mr. Yates seems sunken in to that chair.

Two great characters here: Hoot Morgan, who hails from Texas, and Gunboat Jones, who looks like a tough if ever you saw one.  These are wonderful studies in character development, especially related to the shapes and postures of the characters.  Their shapes are nearly inversions of each other.

Another page of figural studies, likely from life.  DeBeck was probably eating in the restaurant when he captured the waiters.  The small sandwich board guy is brief but wonderful, down to his pissed off looking expression.

This ink sketch is on the back of the previous sheet.  I have my doubts that DeBeck drew it, as it does not seem like his style, but maybe it's a quickie telephone doodle, or something like that.

More wonderful character development by DeBeck, featuring Rose Yeast (Prima Dona), The four Hortons (acrobats from Czechoslovakia), and Madame Maltese ("Accused of murdering four husbands, each time declared innocent"). A wildly interesting group of folks at the Continental!

A page of miscellaneous character sketches, likely from life.  You can see the struggles DeBeck had with the woman on the right, but it's only a sketch, as DeBeck was trying to figure things out.

More wonderfulness from DeBeck, featuring the Mezzanine Boys, Coleen O'Dear, and "Millionaire rug merchant and frying pan king", who is stuck on Coleen.  O'Dear has the look of so many of DeBeck's women in Barney Google, who poor Barney would no doubt become smitten with. 

This piece is not captioned, but does not feel like a study from life.  The characters and approach to the drawing have always reminded me a bit of Daumier's work.

Dancer, by Honoré Daumier.  There is some similarity between the two drawings, in terms of line and gesture.  Daumier's approach is a bit more lyrical, while DeBeck's uses flatter shading.

A lovely, lovely character study of Annie Potts, likely the character on the right.  The dialog reads: "Shure.. the ol' gintlemon arsked me ter merry 'im.  He's that lonesome".  This has a most definite feel of one of Phil May's every-person drawings.  The dialect is an odd mix of English, Irish and Scottish.  The drawing is simply beautiful, with just enough contour to convey the weight of the forms.

One of Phil May's wonderful Gutter Snipes drawings, referring usually to the kids of the gutter.  You can see why DeBeck so loved May's work, with those heavier contour lines and flat shapes of shading.  The contrasts May created, from light-to-dark in the clothing, is marvelous.

Harrington, the "Poor Little Rich Boy".  There always seems to be one of those types of characters in stories of this period.  He's a bit on the generic side, like he was barely fleshed out.

This page features J. Pomroy Snodgrass, the resident Manager, as well as a character identified simply as "The Guest in Room 1900".  DeBeck added: "Man up in room 1900 looks suspicious.  He wont (sic) talk".  A mysterious character is he!

This page appears to be  sketch done from life.  The man in the hat and driving coat are handled in such a breezy manner, and yet, with fewer than 25 brief lines, DeBeck has conveyed his character quite wonderfully.  The chair is a lovely little touch to help set the space.

Ah, now we're really getting into the characters!  On the left side we have a "Film Exec" and an "Ex Con", followed by Prince Hopperoff (Mike) just left-of-center.  Up top is the head of a "G-Man", followed by "Show Biro" and a bookie at the far right.  Except for the G-man figure, who's rather generic, the characters are wonderfully developed.

More great characters, with Cissy Cortez, the "Cigar Miss", a "hot Spanish doll" with a "sweet accent".  Up top is Nix Flannigan, possibly the doorman.  then we have Snif McHolmes, who you've all guessed is the "House Bloodhound", or hotel detective, and Owens the room clerk, "A petty grafter...".  All four of these characters are nicely developed in sketch form, though Nix and Snif have the best body language/figural attitude.

Last but not least is Ivan, the cook.  There's not much to be said about Ivan, except that DeBeck handled him with a lot of care.  The brief but descriptive contour lines are supported by light shadows, giving Ivan some good weight.  And there is just enough in the setting to create the space beautifully.

Finally, the sketch of Barney Google that my friend Sy received from DeBeck at his Florida studio in 1935. Sy liked to recount the story of meeting DeBeck, and mentioned that his mother served him fish and onions before his visit.  As he was leaving DeBeck's house, DeBeck mentioned to Sy not to eat onions and fish next time!  When Sy passed away, his widow gave me this piece, which I treasure.  I apologize for the bad quality of the image, but the piece is framed.