F. S. Backus

Frank Sill Backus (1868–1966) occupies an important and uncomfortable place in the history of American postcard production. Known today primarily through his association with the confrontational “Say!” postcard series, Backus represents a type of early twentieth-century commercial illustrator whose work bridged popular entertainment, industrial printing, and social ideology.

In an earlier article on the Cincinnati production chain, I mistakenly confused Backus with a different individual of the same name who lived in Washington State. Subsequent research has clarified that this was incorrect. The Washington Frank Backus was a pioneer and logger with no connection to illustration or printing. Frank Sill Backus was born in Ohio in 1868, lived and worked there throughout his life, and died in Ohio in 1966.

Backus was active during the height of the American postcard boom, when comic and novelty postcards were produced in enormous quantities and distributed nationwide. The “Say!” series, with its exaggerated facial features and aggressive visual framing, fits squarely within the mainstream of American comic postcards of the period. Its antisemitic imagery was not incidental or marginal. It relied on instantly recognizable stereotypes that required no explanation for a contemporary audience and were designed to provoke amusement through humiliation and exclusion.

By the early twentieth century, Backus was connected to the Henderson Litho Company of Cincinnati, one of the major American producers of illustrated postcards. While not every design attributed to Henderson can be directly tied to Backus by signature or contract, city directories and employment records firmly place him within the company’s structure. His career trajectory within Henderson is especially revealing. By 1924, directories list him as second vice president, and by 1928 as assistant treasurer. This progression reflects a move from creative work into executive responsibility.

Such transitions were not unusual within large lithographic firms. Skilled illustrators who understood both visual production and the economics of mass printing were often promoted into supervisory or managerial roles. In Backus’s case, however, this professional evolution invites closer attention when considered alongside his documented personal views.

An especially telling reference appears in a 1905 church record, where Backus is described as a trustee and a “hard liner” within his Baptist congregation. In a recorded statement, he declared: “A non-paying member is a non-attending member, a member who takes no interest in the welfare of his church, and one whose influence is detrimental. He should be thrown out.”

This statement is notable for its rigidity and its emphasis on exclusion as a corrective force. Membership, in Backus’s view, was conditional on conformity, contribution, and usefulness. When this mindset is placed alongside the visual language of the “Say!” postcards, the parallel is difficult to ignore. While caution is always required when drawing connections between belief and behavior, the consistency of tone is striking. The same impulse to define insiders and outsiders, and to discipline through ridicule or removal, appears both in his social views and in the imagery produced under his hand or supervision.

The “Say!” postcards should therefore be understood not merely as anonymous products of a prejudiced marketplace, but as artifacts created within a system where personal ideology, corporate structure, and public taste reinforced one another. Backus’s career illustrates how antisemitic imagery could be normalized and monetized within American popular culture well before the First World War, embedded not at the fringes but at the center of commercial production.

A natural question arises: is there a photograph of Frank Sill Backus himself? At present, no confirmed portrait has surfaced in public archives, trade publications, or city directories. Unlike some illustrators who cultivated public personas, Backus appears visually only through his work and through administrative records. It remains possible that a photograph exists in family collections, church archives, or local Ohio historical societies, but none has yet been identified or published.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Frank Sill Backus?
Frank Sill Backus (1868–1966) was an American commercial illustrator and later an executive associated with postcard production in Ohio, particularly through the Henderson Lithographing Company of Cincinnati.

Was Frank Sill Backus from Washington State?
No. Earlier confusion linked him to a namesake in Washington State, but research confirms that the Washington Frank Backus was a pioneer and logger unrelated to postcard illustration. The postcard artist was an Ohio native.

What is the “Say!” postcard series?
The “Say!” series is a group of early twentieth-century American comic postcards characterized by exaggerated caricature and confrontational imagery, including antisemitic stereotypes common in the commercial postcard market of the period.

Did Frank Sill Backus work for the Henderson Lithographing Company?
Yes. City directories and employment records place Backus within the Henderson Lithographing Company, where he later rose to positions such as second vice president and assistant treasurer during the 1920s.