Frederick William Alden (1873-1955) was a Christian cartoonist known for illustrations appearing in the pamphlets of Rev. B.H. Shadduck - most notably Jocko-Homo Heavenbound, which was later to inspire Devo.
Alden's drawings are rich with a sense of the macabre, his disgust at evolution evident in bizarre hybrids of man and animal, modern day devils of scientific progress. Alden's use of symbolism is fascinating, and I love the metaphorical landscapes in particular.
2 comments:
Thanks for this. I've been thinking about it recently. Gotta get together and talk about it.
(For example, I find the anti-government stuff, the anti-taxes stuff, such an interesting fit.)
I should also say, I find his hierarchies fascinating. Goat marriage is worse than atheism? Sometimes I'm not sure if I should be going up or down the stairs. Which is worse? There are moments where I get it and then there are moments where I think I'm back in the early 90s, staring at one of those magic puzzles that I could never make sense of.
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