Mark Kausler’s CatBlog

Hi Folks, Here’s the original caption for this Vic Vac painting: “Vic Vac, the Globe-Democrat’s chief artist, used an etching of St. Louis in 1817 as the basis for his delightful cartoon on today’s cover. The origin of the etching, believed to be the first ever made of the city, is not known, but it appeared originally on the $10 bill of Bank of St. Louis. The Halloween characters that enliven the scene are an added touch, a product of the fertile Vic Vac imagination.” Note that the Gateway arch was finished Oct. 28th, 1965, just three days before this cover was printed. The arch was not opened to the public for many months after this. There’s a little black cat on a rooftop close to the bottom right of the composition. I love all the little ghosts on the flatboats and houseboats on the Mississippi. I hope you enjoy this historic cover today, Mark