Logan, Herschel C.

Herschel Cary Logan (1901-1987) was a commercial artist and collector of Americana. Born in Magnolia, Missouri, he spent the bulk of his childhood and professional career in Kansas.
An early interest in cartooning led Logan to pursue studies at the Chicago Academy of Art in 1920. A year later, he obtained employment with the McCormick-Armstrong Lithograph Company in Wichita, where he met and formed a friendship with Kansas printmaker C.A. Seward. The latter introduced Logan to other regional artists, including printmakers Lloyd Foltz, Charles Capps, Clarence Hotvedt, and Leo Courtney.
In 1929, Logan left Wichita for Salina, where he obtained employment with the Consolidated Printing and Stationery Company. He became a charter member of the Prairie Print Makers (PPM), established in 1930. The group sought to advance the interests of artists and collectors by commissioning limited edition prints and sponsoring exhibitions. Between 1920 and 1939, Logan established a reputation as a woodcut printer specializing in Kansas and southwestern scenes. Such work earned him the nickname, "the Prairie Woodcutter" and "the Woodcutter of West Walnut." Logan's prints were included in the Midwestern Artists' Exhibitions at the Kansas City Art Institute, the International Print Makers Exhibition in Los Angeles, and the New York World's Fair Print Exhibition.
In January 1939, he created Consolidated Printing company's promotional cartoon character, "The Colonel." C.A. Seward's death that same year prompted Logan to take a long hiatus from printmaking. He continued to publish his cartoon character in <emph render='italic'>The Salina Journal,</emph> but he increasingly became known for his interests in American history. He collected Civil War memorabilia, became a member of the Arms and Armour Society (U.K.) and was a fellow in the Company of Military Historians. He served on Salina's auxiliary police department, was a president of its Rotary Club, and its Public Library Board.
Upon his retirement in 1967, he relocated to California, where he and his wife Anne established the Log-Anne Press as a hobby. The duo produced miniature books written or illustrated by the husband-wife duo. Logan's woodcuts were selected to illustrate Everett Scogrin's <emph render='italic'>Other Days in Pictures and Verse </emph>(Burton Publishing, 1928) and Avis Carlson's <emph render='italic'>Small World, Long Gone: A Family Record of an Era</emph> (Schori Press, 1976). The artist died in Santa Ana, California on December 8, 1987.

Burke, Bill. "'The Colonel' Is Retiring, But His Creator Is Keeping Busy." <emph render='italic'>The Salina Journal</emph> 23 February 1978.
Carney, Charles. "Miniature Books Reap Big Rewards." <emph render='italic'>The Los Angeles Times</emph> 9 February 1980.
"Department Gains Cartoon Collection." <emph render='italic'>K-State Collegian</emph> 26 September 1960.
"Herschel C. Logan." <emph render='italic'>The Salina Journal </emph>20 December 1987.
"Herschel C. Logan's Collection Is Purchased by K-State." <emph render='italic'>The Salina Journal</emph> 25 May 1960.
Kansas Historical Society. "Dust Storm Print." January 2002; Modified December 2014. URL: https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/dust-storm-print/10222

Creator Source: Library of Congress Name Authority File
Biographical/Historical Note Author: K. Rylance