'A Strain On The Family Tie'.
Gaar Williams was an American cartoonist, born in Richmond, Indiana. He was the staff artist of the Richmond High School Magazine, and later attended the Cincinnati Art academy and the Chicago Art Institute. He worked with the Chicago Daily News for five years before joining the Indianapolis News in 1909. There, he was part of the "Idle Ward" with reporter William Herschell and fellow artist Kin Hubbard. He worked for the Chicago Tribune from 1921 until his death in 1935.
One of his earliest cartoon features was 'Buttons and the Butler' for the Chicago Daily News in 1906 and 1907. During this time with the Tribune, Williams made a large number of cartoon panels and comic strips that mainly dealt with the traditions, customs and daily life of the Midwest. These appeared under a variety of titles, including 'A Strain on the Family Tie', 'Among the Folks in History', 'How To Keep from Growing Old', 'Just Plain Folks', 'Our Secret Ambition', 'Something Ought To Be Done About This', etc.
A Sunday piece for 'A Strain on the Family Tie' called 'Mort Green and Wife' started with a topper called 'Zipper' appeared between 1931 and 1933, and from then on under the title of the daily panel. The feature was continued by Bob York until 1936 after the death of Williams in 1935. By the time of his death in 1935, his cartoons were being published in 39 newspapers.
'Buttons and the Butler'.