Clarence Matthew Baker (1921 - 1959)

Born 10 Dec 1921 in Winston-Salem, Forsyth, North Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Died 11 Aug 1959 at age 37 in New York City, New York County, New York, United States

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Biography

Matt Baker is Notable.

“Matt Baker was one of the first important artists in comics. Not one of the first important black artists, one of the first important artists, period.”
— Comics writer Arnold Drake^[1]

Matt Baker was an American comic book artist and illustrator, best known for drawing early comics heroines such as the costumed crimefighter Phantom Lady, and romance comics.

Clarence Matthew Baker was born in Winston-Salem, Forsyth, North Carolina on 10 December 1921.^[2] His parents were Clarence Matthew Baker and Ethel Lee (Lash) Baker.^[3]

1930 census^[4]

1940 census^[5]

Matt passed away in New York City on 11 August 1959.^[6] He is buried at The Evergreens Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York.^[7]

It is often said that Matt Baker was the first Black comic book artist. This is not entirely correct, but neither is it necessarily incorrect. Due to the nature of the industry in its early years, the identity and work of the first Black comic book artist is simply unknowable. What can be said is that Matt Baker was the first successful Black comic book artist, and that his work remains influential to this day.

Sources

1. ↑ Quote found at "Profiles in Black Cartooning: Matt Baker," CBLDF.org (Web page : accessed 10 December 2020).
2. ↑ "U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947," database with images, Ancestry.com (Shareable record : accessed 10 December 2020), Clarence Matthew Baker, born 10 Dec 1921; citing The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for District of Columbia, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 9.
3. ↑ "North Carolina, Center for Health Statistics, Vital Records Unit, County Birth Records, 1913-1922", database, FamilySearch (Birth record : accessed 2 February 2021), Clarence Matthew Baker, 1921.
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (Census record : accessed 2 February 2021), Matthew Baker in household of Matthew Robinson, Pittsburgh (Districts 1-250), Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 197, sheet 12A, line 9, family 206, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1976; FHL microfilm 2,341,710.
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (Census record : accessed 2 February 2021), Clarance Baker in household of Matthew Robinson, Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 69-345, sheet 9A, line 30, family 195, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3661.
6. ↑ "New York, New York, U.S., Death Index, 1949-1965," database with images, Ancestry.com (Shareable record : accessed 10 December 2020), Clarence Baker, died 14 August 1959; citing New York City Department of Health, courtesy of [www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com]. Digital Images.
7. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 11 December 2020), memorial page for Clarence Matthew “Matt” Baker (10 Dec 1921–14 Aug 1959), Find A Grave: Memorial #157335164, citing The Evergreens Cemetery, Brooklyn, Kings County (Brooklyn), New York, USA ; Maintained by Dave Ebaugh (contributor 50259782) .

See also:

Clarence Matthew Baker (1921-1959) at BlackPast
Matt Baker (artist) at Wikipedia

Selected Matt Baker Comic Work:

All are in the public domain. Read online at Comic Book+ for free (no registration required), register there to download.

It Rhymes With Lust - Candidate for first graphic novel
Jumbo Comics 069 - Contains Baker's first professional comic work
Phantom Lady 17 - Baker's cover was widely used as an example of the supposed corrupting influence of comics