Wimpy's Inn, San Francisco 1930s

Popeye, the cartoon character created by the American artist E. C. Segar, first appeared in a comic strip in 1929. His best friend was J. Wellington Wimpy, a deadbeat guy who loved hamburgers as much as the pugnacious Popeye loved spinach. Both became wildly popular comic strip characters.

This menu cover comes from the famous Wimpy's Inn which operated in two locations in San Francisco in the 1930s. Brothers Walt and Adolph Schoch, the sons of Swiss immigrants, also used the cartoon character's name for their hamburger and hot dog shops. Their motto  was,  "Wimpy Says Keep Smiling" - a reference to the fact that Wimpy was a morose sidekick to Popeye - and they printed the motto on all their menus. J. Wellington Wimpy's most famous catch-phrase was, "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today".

Courtesy Private Collection.

Each print is accompanied by a copy of the interior menu where available.

We make our prints with archival-quality fine art paper, using professional pigment inks. Properly framed or stored, our prints will last 70+ years without fading or discolouring.

All our prints up to A2 size are made in-house in the UK. For larger prints, we work with the best commercial giclée printers in the UK. Learn more about our printing process, borders and custom orders here.