Arthur Ragland "Pop" Momand[1] (May 15, 1887 – November 10, 1987)[2] was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip Keeping Up with the Joneses.

Pop Momand
BornArthur Ragland Momand
(1887-05-15)May 15, 1887
San Diego, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 10, 1987(1987-11-10) (aged 100)
Cambridge, New York, U.S.
Area(s)Cartoonist
Notable works
Keeping Up with the Joneses
Spouse(s)May Harding
Mayo Deason

Biography

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Momand spent his childhood in New York City, where he attended the Trinity School.[3]

In 1905[4] or 1907,[3] Harry Grant Dart hired Momand as a staff artist for the New York World,[4] where he produced a variety of comic strips including Mr. I. N. Dutch.[3] He also worked at The Evening Telegram, where he created the comic strip Pazaza.[5] After this, he spent a year studying art at the Académie Julian.[5]

 
Momand's comic strip "Pazaza", January 3, 1910

In 1913, he created Keeping Up with the Joneses, based on his Nassau County experiences.[6] The strip appeared in early issues of both Funnies on Parade and Famous Funnies; and was syndicated until 1938.[1] After retiring from cartooning, Momand became a portrait painter.[2]

Personal life

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In 1910, he was married to May Harding,[1] and lived in Nassau County, New York (either Cedarhurst[6] or Hempstead).[1] Unable to afford the Nassau County lifestyle, they eventually moved back to Manhattan.[6] Momand and Harding subsequently divorced, and in 1928 he married Mayo Deason in Lucerne, Switzerland.[1] By 1931, he was living in Paris.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Pop" Momand Profiled by Alex Jay, at Stripper's Guide; published February 16, 2011; retrieved March 26, 2019
  2. ^ a b Arthur R. Momand, Comic Strip Artist, Dies, in the New York Times; published December 5, 1987; retrieved March 26, 2019
  3. ^ a b c Arthur R. Momand, at Lambiek; published November 20, 2016; retrieved March 26, 2019
  4. ^ a b 'Keeping Up With Joneses' Keeps Pop Momand Busy, in the Hamilton Daily News; published October 7, 1921; archived at Stripper's Guide; retrieved March 26, 2019
  5. ^ a b Arthur Momand's Cartoons, in The Moving Picture World, September 11, 1915, p. 1809, archived at Stripper's Guide; retrieved March 26, 2019
  6. ^ a b c "Keeping up with the Joneses", in the Facts on File Dictionary of American Regionalisms by Robert Hendrickson; originally published 1997; this edition published October 30, 2000 by Infobase Publishing
  7. ^ J.L. MOMAND DIES; REAL ESTATE MAN: President of Firm Bearing His Name Had Been in Business for 25 Years., in The New York Times; published September 29, 1931; retrieved August 18, 2021