Edith Stevens: Pioneering Women Cartoonist

Edith Stevens, often called “the Kate Smith of the drawing board,” was among the first wave of women cartoonists working at major daily newspapers in the 1920s. Her comic strip, Us Girls, offered lighthearted commentary on fashion trends, hairstyles, and social manners. Created by a woman and aimed at a female audience, Us Girls stood apart from the male-centric cartoons of the time.

Published six days a week for over 30 years—first in The Boston Post and later in The Boston Globe—the strip resulted in more than 10,000 cartoons. These sketches serve as a cultural time capsule, documenting fashion and societal trends from a distinctly female perspective across five decades of the twentieth century.

In this highly illustrated talk, Robert Davison chronicles Edith Stevens’s remarkable rise to acclaim, explores her personal tragedies, and highlights her many artistic achievements.

Davison, Stevens’s nephew, is a creative director and design educator. Encouraged by Stevens in his youth, he pursued a career in the creative arts. He is currently the creative director at Boston University’s Office of Marketing & Communications, an award-winning internal creative agency. He also serves on the Alumni Board of Directors at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where he is an assistant professor.