Robert Crumb is an artist and illustrator recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream.  While he is perhaps best known for his ‘Keep on Truckin’” and Fritz the Cats’ cartoons, his ‘Short History of America’ series is an urbanist classic.

Arguably his most timeless image, this series shows the gradual metamorphosis of a single plot of land from virgin wilderness to urban decay in 12 panels. It first appeared in black & white in 1979 in the ecological magazine Co-Evolutionary Quarterly and in Snoid Comics. It was rearranged and colored by Peter Poplaski in 1981 and quickly became Kitchen Sink Press’ best-selling poster.

A poster version of the series can be purchased here.

First in a three post series,(Parts 2 and 3)