'Winnie Winkle'.
Martin Branner is most famous for his newspaper comic 'Winnie Winkle', which was first published in 1920. Coming from New York, Branner was a Vaudeville star who became a cartoonist after his military service in World War I, although he had previously done some advertisement illustrations for Variety magazine. He started out doing the short-lived 'Louie the Lawyer' for the Bell Syndicate in 1919. He then did an equally short-lived Sunday page called 'Pete and Pinto' for the New York Herald and the New York Sun, before being hired by the Chicago Tribune-New York News Syndicate. In September 1920, the first episodes of Branner's 'Winnie Winkle, The Breadwinner' were published. The title was later shortened to 'Winnie Winkle'.
'Winnie Winkle, The Breadwinner'.
'Winnie Winkle' was notable for featuring a working girl as protagonist. When the strip started, she was a little girl, but in time she got married, had a baby, and eventually widowed during World War II. She even had a career.
Her little brother, Perry, accompanied by his gang of Rinkydinks became the leading star in the Sunday page which started in 1923. Perry and the Rinkydinks caught on in The Netherlands under the name 'Sjors van de Rebellenclub', written and drawn by Frans Piët. In 1962 Branner retired after having a stroke and his assistant Max Van Bibber took over 'Winnie Winkle' until 1980. The strip ran until 1996 and was one of the longest-running comics around.
An image from a 1961 'Winnie Winkle' story was used by pop art painter Roy Lichtenstein for his 1961 painting 'Engagement Ring'.
'Winnie Winkle', 1966.