7.25x9.25" illustration board has approximately 6.5x8.5" sheet of thin paper with pen and ink illustration of McCay's famous Sauropod, Gertie. Used in production for the 1914 cartoon "Gertie The Dinosaur." Art shows Gertie rearing up in surprise as Jumbo the Mammoth walks into frame. Gertie would later throw Jumbo into lake in bkg. McCay's audiences expressed disbelief as to what they were seeing on the screen. A previous cartoon "How A Mosquito Operates," brought accusations of a puppet operated by wires. When Gertie was first exhibited, audiences accused McCay of having men inside papier mache dinosaur costume but the cartoon content convinced them otherwise. This cartoon is considered to be the first to feature a cartoon character, meaning a character that displays it's own personality. In the 1960s, approximately 400 Gertie drawings were obtained from a business associate of McCay's son. While we have no idea how many Gertie drawings were given away by McCay during his lifetime, we can be fairly certain that there are approximately 400-500 Gertie drawings that survived. Obviously, as is true of all cartoons, some drawings are better quality and more desirable than others. This particular drawing of Gertie with Jumbo is a truly choice scene, full of action and showcasing Gertie's enchanting appeal. Thin paper is mounted to illustration board via glue at corners. There is a .25" piece missing from top margin, not affecting art. Illustration board has corner tip wear and a .25x1.75" stain to bottom left-hand corner, not infringing onto art page. Additional ink notations at corners and bottom margin. Could be easily matted and framed for an Exc. display. Truly a wonderful example of one of the most important characters from the early days of animation.