Meet the Weatherbird

The first Weatherbird, left, was drawn by Harry B. Martin and published Feb. 11, 1901. The Bird often celebrates notable events, like the completion of the Gateway Arch in 1965. He first appeared in color in the 1980s.

The Weatherbird is a Post-Dispatch tradition, and the oldest continuously running daily cartoon in American journalism. The first Bird was published Feb. 11, 1901. (He’s an Aquarius.) Since then, he (or sometimes she) has rarely been at a loss for a few pithy words.

The original Weatherbird, drawn by Harry B. Martin, was quite literally a silent “weather” bird. Martin thought he would need six versions (sun, rain, snow, cloudy, hot and very cold) to cover the range of St. Louis weather conditions, but he soon realized the Bird had a lot more to say. Before long he was drawing a new Weatherbird each day that was related to something in the news.

Over the past 100 years, the Weatherbird, and the Birding process, have evolved. Today, the full-color Bird is drawn by Dan Martin, and Post-Dispatch copy editors gather to come up with the Bird’s quips, known as Bird lining. The top five submissions are then put to a public vote on the Weatherbird’s blog, The Bird’s Nest. The quip with the most votes appears on A1 of the next day’s paper.

Weatherbird artists

Only six men have drawn the Weatherbird, and three have been named Martin (all unrelated).

Harry B. Martin // 1901-1903
Martin came up with the Weatherbird while on a trip when he saw comical photos of young birds with gaping bills.

Oscar Chopin // 1903-1910
Chopin expanded the Bird’s role, using him as the central figure in a news cartoon. During the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Chopin made sure the Weatherbird reported from the fair every day.

S. Carlisle Martin // 1901-1932
Martin is best known for changing the Bird’s appearance to look more like a frog than a bird. Martin also changed the focus of the Weatherbird’s commentary, moving from weather and news quotes to more controversial topics regarding local and regional mishaps. During Martin’s tenure, the Bird established a “six words or less” Bird line pattern that is still in place today.

Amadee Wohlschlaeger // 1932-1981
Known simply as Amadee, the fourth Weatherbird artist modified the Bird’s bill, again making him more frog-like in appearance. Amadee’s birds were recognized by their loud sports coats and cigars

Albert Schweitzer // 1981-1986
Schweitzer was the first to draw the Weatherbird in color. He also was known for drawing Birds wearing bow ties.

Dan Martin // 1986-present
Martin has worked to make the Weatherbird more bird-like in appearance. He was the first to draw a “floating” Weatherbird outside of a traditional box.