Gossip is a Topic for Another Time

Take a look at this portrait, signed by Goodnow there is no year and only the words “Cleveland Topics.”  I like local history and old paper but I felt this was too random and couldn’t see bringing it home. When I asked how much, I was shocked to hear her say “No charge.” I may have been the only one after the line of early birds to show any interest in its heritage and was bribed to take it and research it. The bribe, or generosity as I prefer to think of it, was accepted.

I was pleased to see attached to the back was a folded piece of letterhead and the portrait subject’s business card. Using these, I did the best search I could. Cleveland Town Topics began publishing in 1887 and was “a review of Society, Art, and Literature.” It catered to the upper crust of society reporting gossip, events, other goings-on and lasted until the very early 1930’s when the depression caused it to merge with a similar publication The Bystander. This move couldn’t save either publication and both seem to be gone by 1934.

There is nothing I can find on Harry C. Eggleston, only a little on the back of a photograph of the editor Frank Foxcroft (above), and nothing on the artist, Goodnow. If reader would like to tackle this mystery, I invite you to leave what you find in the comments. I know there’s always more to the story.

During WWII the Kelloggs Company was trying to take on the evil axis powers by publishing cartoons along with their recipe newsletters. Take a look at a few of them here.