Other Weather Features

There are lots of other weather cartoons all over the United States.  A few even proceed the Weatherbird.  (Could they have inspired Harry Martin?  We will probably never know.)  Few, however, speak or expand to general news commentary the way the Weatherbird has, perhaps partially explaining why none ever became quite the phenomenon that the bird did.  Though notably the Weather Frog has gained notoriety, and continues to this day, and the Finch expanded to a feature and even appeared in at least one other newspaper.

Post-Dispatch Weatherbird Predecessors

The earliest weather illustration of any kind that I have found in the Post-Dispatch is the basic Flag in 1887, which was used in lots of papers around that time.  It lasted for several years.

Feb 4, 1888

Page 4

May 3, 1894

Page 9

After that was a thermometer.

Sep 3, 1895

Page 1

It soon became a little more interesting, with drawings of people, around November 1896.

Dec 18, 1896

Page 1

This lasted until mid 1897, when the thermometer returned for a few months.

I haven't done an exhaustive search but the next illustration I have found is early in 1900, when Harry Martin drew some cartoons to give interest to the weather column (and probably fill space) on occasion.

Jan 29, 1900

Page 1

Creatures in Other Papers

Frog, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Jan 11, 1894-1914, 1952-19??, 19??-Present

Bear, San Francisco Examiner, 1893-1934 (did not become associated with weather until 1894)

Monkey, St. Louis Star Chronicle, 1903 or 04 -?

    Probably 'inspired' by the Weatherbird, which was very popular at that time

Finch, St. Joseph News-Press, 1903-1942

    (Also in the Philadelphia York Daily somehow)

Wise Old Weather Crow, Syndicated, 1907-1908

Crow, Indianapolis Star, 1904ish -1908ish?

Raccoon, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

    Unfortunately the online archives of this paper are incomplete.  The Raccoon does not appear in the 1902 papers available, and appears in the single available 1905 paper.  It shows up in other illustrations in the paper as a sort of mascot.  It seems to have stopped running in mid 1926.

Dog, Philadelphia York Daily, March 3, 1915 - 1916

    The Weatherdog could talk

Mike the Duck, Joplin MO, Jan 1, 1905-?

Weather People in Other Papers

Children, Boston Globe, 1899ish - 1913ish+?

Indian, Minneapolis Daily Times

Lady, San Francisco Examiner, preceded the Weather Bear 1893-1894

    The Lady is the oldest weather illustration that I know of, not including weather flag illustrations that were used in multiple papers.

Man, Fort Wayne News

Girl and Dog, The Cincinnati Enquirer 1920

Lady, The Cincinnati Enquirer, seen 1900

Newsboy, Philadelphia York Daily (later joined by dog), October 4, 1915 - 1942

    This kid did speak and expanded beyond simple weather imagery.