GRAND OLD FLAGG

Charles Dana Gibson was once a household name. The man who could paint with a pen captured the public's imagination through the pages of the original Life magazine, which was devoted to finding the humor in current events. His work was collected in huge coffee table volumes, the "Gibson Girl" hairstyle still can be found today, and a collection of the headshots of said "Girls" was supposedly transformed into a wallpaper pattern.
As a result of his phenomenal popularity, Gibson had many acolytes and imitators. Occasionally, one stepped up to approach and maybe surpass the master. I'm making the case for James Montgomery Flagg.
Flagg's jaunty ink style was much looser than Gibson's, giving his drawings the bounce of an animated cartoon. You can see that talent on display here in this 1908 collection of cartoons from Life about the sorts of people one encounters and endures on cruise holidays. "Friendly" pestilences, self-appointed social directors, crusty crew: all represented. Flagg wrote the verse, too. And as for surpassing Gibson and his "Girl" in creating an image to vie for immortality, Flagg is of course best known for his painting of Uncle Sam, who "Wants You" from every Army recruiting poster.