Discover Drawing of the famous Cartoonist F. OPPER edited in 1903. Prehistoric thematic. These drawings were first printed in the New York Evening Journal. Frederick Burr Opper (January 2, 1857 - August 28, 1937) was one of the pioneers of American newspaper comic strips, best known for his comic strip Happy Hooligan. His comic characters were featured in magazine gag cartoons, covers, political cartoons and comic strips for six decades.