It is with pardonable pride that the people of this vicinity speak of the celebrated artist, Albert T. Reid. He is referred to as one of the most distinguished men Cloud county has ever had among its citizens, in a way that reflects credit upon his high order of talent.

Concordia is the birth place of this rapidly rising young man, but in the beautiful little city of Clyde, his more recent home and where his mother still resides, he first gave evidence of the great talent he possessed and has since developed, making him nationally famous as a cartoonist and illustrator. Mr. Reid is loyal to the friends of his boyhood days and to the place of his nativity. He refers to Clyde and Concordia people with a feeling akin to reverence and fully reciprocates their attachment for him and their unbounded interest in his career. His father, the late W.E. Reid, having been a lawyer and banker, the son was reared with the supposition that he would follow in his father's footsteps. Hence, little or no attention was given the artistic ability he evinced at an early age, and to which all his energies were concentrated until his unusual talents stood forth unchallenged.

While a mere boy he won the prize offered by the Mail and Breeze of Topeka, for the best cartoon, among any and all competitors. That he carried away the honors from among the seventy-five sketches submitted proved him to be endowed with more than ordinary skill. That was the turning point in his life. Since then the demand for his work has steadily increased until he stands today pre-eminently among the best illustrators and cartoonists. His work is characterized for its strong originality.

He is still a young man on the sunny side of middle life, full of aspirations, and possessing the ambition to execute them, he has not yet reached the climax of his career. At the beginning of his career in art, he spent three years on the Kansas City Star. From there he went to the New York Herald and then to the staff of "Judge," and became one of the contributors to McClure's Magazine. All westerners are especially acquainted with his regular contributions in the Kansas City journal and the Topeka Mail and Breeze. His cartoons have made him a power in politics. "In Varying Moods," a charming little volume, one of the poetical gems of the day, by William Hamilton Cline, is beautifully illustrated and decorated by Mr. Reid. His excellent drawings in "Cupid is King," by Roy Farrell Greene, have been highly praised by the best critics in the country. An admirable collection of his humorous drawings illustrates Tom McNeal's Fables.

Mr. Reid is not only gifted in art, but plays the piano with a skill that denotes more than ordinary talent and has composed a number of pieces. Band masters Sousa, Innes and Sorrentio have personally complimented his "Guardians of Liberty," march, and have played it to enthusiastic audiences during their tours. Lew Dockstader, the famous minstrel gained many an encore with Mr. Reid's "Dat Meddlin' Coon."

Mr. Reid is unostentatious in his bearing and retains the simplicity of manner that would mark the earlier years of a man's life before known to fame. Instead of a misguided enthusiasm, what he has accomplished is only an index of what the future holds for him, and although he is well known, is still rising in prominence in the art world. The self-reliance he was called upon to exercise in his work undoubtedly developed his talent and his intellectual faculties as well. Natural ability, coupled with his zeal, established for him a reputation accorded to but few western artists.

The wedding of Albert T. Reid and Miss Vera Low, which occurred in October, 1902, was one of the most brilliant events ever celebrated in Topeka. Mrs. Reid's talents will enable her to keep pace with those of her husband, for she is an accomplished musician of rare ability and possesses a beautiful voice. She is a leader in the social world. Mrs. Reid is the daughter of Marcus A. Low, General attorney of the Rock Island Railroad. She is the original of many of Mr. Reid's pen and ink girls.

Mr. and Mrs. Reid's beautiful home at Thirteenth and Fillmore streets in Topeka, is one of the most attractive in that city of homes and the studio on the third floor is an interesting workshop, from which Mr. Reid turns out the cartoons that provoke mirth, and mould public opinion and the illustrations that adorn the pages of magazines and books. This is the home of the "Reid Girl."