"King Arthur of the Court"   Lot no. 4215

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By Charles Phil Bissell (B. 1926)

Pen and Ink on Illustration Board
Signed Lower Right

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ABOUT THE ARTIST

Charles Phil Bissell was known for his talented ability as a caroonist and illustrator. Bissell was born in 1926 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He is a member of the National Cartoonists Society. 

In 1960, Boston Globe cartoonist Phil Bissell, working for $25 a day, was handed an assignment that would change his life—and the lives of fans of the brand-new AFL football team coming to Boston.

“Sports editor Jerry Nason came to me and he said, ‘They’ve decided to call the team the Boston Patriots. You better have a cartoon ready for tomorrow’s edition.’ I sat down, I drew that cartoon original of Pat in about 45 minutes,” Bissell said. “I thought about it for about two minutes and went to work. I had to get the day’s work out.”

During this time Bissell created what served as the Patriots logo for more than three decades, from their second season in 1961 through 1992. When the team ditched Pat for its current “Flying Elvis” logo in 1993 (with a minor color change in 2000), many fans were distraught.

Bissell has drawn the likenesses of more than 60,000 athletes and political figures. He’s been drawing all his life, and received his first paycheck at the age of seven.

Bissell,  refers to Pat Patriot with fatherly adoration as “old Pat” or “my Pat,” has an explanation for why his creation still holds a place in fans’ hearts.
“Things are going so fast today,” Bissell said. “People like to have their feet on the ground, and my old Pat, when I drew him back in 1960, he had both his feet on the ground. He was ready to do battle.”