Barney Google & Snuffy Smith – John Rose Exhibit
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If you are near Harrisonburg Virginia in the month of June be sure to stop at the Smith House Galleries where, from June 7 to June 27 will be a Barney Google and Snuffy Smith by John Rose exhibit.
The cartoonist said an assortment of his comics will be represented in the new exhibit.
“I wanted some variety so I have some of the Norwegian comics and I’m going to have some illustrations that I’ve had in different books, and some Sunday comics and daily comics,” he said. “With those Sunday comics and daily comics, I’m going to have the original black and white art for some and then for others I’m going to have digitized vinyl color print so the readers can see how it looks in color.”
John Rose has been working on the Barney Google and Snuffy Smith comic strip since 1998, and has been signing it since 2001.
“My mom and dad say that when I was very young we were traveling on a trip and I asked my mom to draw a man on a piece of paper and she drew a little stick figure and she handed it back to me and I said, ‘That’s not a man’ and she said, ‘Well, draw your own’ and she said I’ve been drawing ever since,” Rose said.
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[John] began his newspaper career in 1988 at the Byrd-owned Warren Sentinel in Front Royal. He traveled down the Valley to the Daily News-Record in 1993, where he has worked as a cartoonist since.
And it is the Daily News-Record that features a profile of John Rose and details of the exhibit.
Not coincidentally, the exhibit is happening while the Barney Google and Snuffy Smith comic strip is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The strip began as “Take Barney Google F’instance” on June 17, 1919.
Snuffy Smith’s character was first introduced to readers in 1934 when Barney visited the Appalachian Mountains. The comic strip was then changed to “Barney Google and Snuffy Smith.”
Snuffy became a popular character for his hillbilly humor, which led to Barney being eventually phased out of the comic. Since the 1950s, the comic has focused on Snuffy and his friends and family in Hootin’ Holler.
Over the years, Barney Google has continued to make special appearances in the comic.
Look for Barney Google (and Spark Plug?) to return in time for the centennial celebration.
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