Detective Dick Tracy
Dublin Core
Title
Detective Dick Tracy
Subject
Detective Dick Tracy
Description
Chester Gould submitted sixty unsuccessful comic strip ideas to publisher Joseph Medill Patterson before succeeding with detective “Plainclothes Tracy.” Dick Tracy debuted in the Detroit Mirror in 1931 and ran for forty-six years. Gould’s use of heavy bold lines and chiseled faces combined with his convoluted plots delighted readers. Although Gould studied forensics and criminal procedures for authenticity, his improvisations sometimes led to absurd storylines. The strip introduced technology that at the time seemed outlandish—the two-way wrist radio (1946) and the portable surveillance camera (1948).
Creator
Chester Gould
Source
Library of Congress
Publisher
Library of Congress
Date
1935
Rights
Stephen A. Geppi Collection, Serial and Government Publications Division, Library of Congress (009.00.00) Used by Permission. © 2019 Tribune Content Agency, Llc.
Format
Comic
Language
English
Type
Comic
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
News Paper Comic
Collection
Citation
Chester Gould, “Detective Dick Tracy,” HIST 390 The Digital Past: A Cultural New Deal, accessed September 17, 2026, https://jessicadoeshistory.com/cnd/items/show/149.