theuniquedrawings1960s

1961

Barks made this sketch for fan Malcolm Willits commemorating their first meeting in Seattle, Washington.

The text reads:
Shake, Malcolm!

1962

Barks drew this self-portrait as a footnote of a letter to fan Malcolm Willits. Willits had sent Barks a 'Tom & Jerry' comic featuring a character called Dr. Barks, Doctor of Dogology. Barks said he could not have been the model for the character, stating: Dogs faint when they see me!
The accompanying sketch sort of reveals why...

1961

Fan Joe Cowles worked at the time at a popcorn stand in Disneyland, California, and he asked Barks if his job could serve as material for a story. Barks saw the possibilities and made WDCS263 The Candy Kid. In gratitude he sent Cowles this drawing.

The text reads:
Unca Donald, is that the moon rocket zooming over the Matterhorn? - No, boys, I'm afraid it's Joe Cowles with too much popcorn in his popcorn wagon's popcorn popper!

1961

A group at the Harvard Business School represented by Michael J. Cronin chose Scrooge McDuck as their mascot, and Barks made this drawing to hang in their meeting-room. The ribbon reads: Fortuna Favet Fortibus which means Fortune Favors the Bold. In 1983 Barks used the motif in a painting titled Till Death Do Us Part.

1965

Sketch made for the fan magazine 'Funnyworld' No. 10.

The text reads:
Barks and the duck Syndrome

Mid 1960s

Barks made this drawing (observe Scrooge's heart-shaped eyes!) for The Society of The First Dime (consisting of a bunch of fans at the University of Wisconsin) and accompanied it with the following poem:

Ah, spring! Sweet days of love!
Sweet days when men should take the time
a money hill to climb,
and there renew their love affair
with their first dime!
Scrooge McDuck

1965

E.B. Anderson (AKA E.B. Boatner) had sent Barks a few books as a present. Among those were J.R.R. Tolkien's adventure novel The Hobbit. Barks repaid by sending her a pencil sketch.

1968

Barks only made one to-order naturalistic painting, Last Days at an Old School, which was ordered by a graduating class at the San Jacinto High school. They established a fund and scouted the San Jacinto area for a suitable artist. After several interviews they decided on Carl Barks who proudly unveiled the painting in October of 1968. He was paid 300 dollars for the job - a sum that made me feel like an overpaid Picasso, he later stated.