Franklyn Bruce Modell (September 6, 1917 – May 27, 2016) was an American cartoonist who contributed over 1,400 cartoons to The New Yorker during a period of over 50 years from 1946.
[1] During his childhood, he discovered his passion for drawing and sketching, a fascination that intensified during a period of quarantine due to scarlet fever.
Following his graduation from West Philadelphia High School, Modell initially aimed to pursue a career in illustration.
[2] He was a graduate of the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art, after which he served in the US Army in World War II in a signal radio intelligence company as a sergeant.
His breakthrough came when he caught the attention of Jim Geraghty, the art director of the New Yorker, who recognized Modell's potential after reviewing his cartoon samples.