Charles Schulz

Artist Biography

Charles Schulz was born on November 26 in Minneapolis. Early on in his life Charles received a nickname -Sparky- from his uncle. Even then, the seeds were being planted for a career in cartooning. When he was much older, during the Great Depression, his family had much trouble with money, as did a majority of the population. After finishing high school, he completed a correspondence course given by an art school, his only art training at his father's insistence.

Drafted into the military in the closing days of World War II, Schulz served in Europe, then returned to the States, working in Saint Paul. In 1948 the Saturday Evening Post published some of his work, and then in 1950 the United Features Syndicate bought his "Li'l Folks". The title was already in use for another strip, so they retitled it "Peanuts". The first strip debuted on October 2, 1950 with "Peanuts" becoming one of the most popular comic strips in history, appearing in more than 2000 newspapers and translated into more than two dozen languages, a testament to the magic that Charles Schulz created with his art.

More characters were added as time went on, from Peppermint Patty to Schroder to one of the first African-American cartoon characters, Franklin. Over the years Snoopy grew to become a leading character in his own right, as well as Woodstock jumping from minor status to becoming the symbol for some movements in the sixties and for a generation to recognize later on. In December 1999, Charles Schulz was rushed to the hospital, diagnosed quickly as a blocked abdominal artery. But this would pale next to the discovery of the doctors in Santa Rosa that Sparky had colon cancer as well. So, Charles Schulz announced his retirement - his last daily strip was to be run on January 3, 2000 ; and his last Sunday strip would be printed February 14, 2000. On the eve of the last Peanuts comic, Charles Schulz died of a heart-attack in his sleep – the end of an era in art, comics, and culture.

Charles Schulz Art, Prints and Posters Collection