his famous "injun summer" cartoon was first published on september 29, 1907, and was reprinted in the "tribune" in 1910. it also appeared annually in the fall from 1912 until 1993. it became one of the most popular cartoon features in the "tribune"'s history. mccutcheon's inspiration for the cartoon came from the warm days of autumn and his boyhood years in indiana. in addition to annual reprints in the "tribune", a high-quality print was published in a sunday edition in 1919. the cartoon was also featured in an indiana state fair exhibit in 1928 and as a lifesize diorama and a fireworks display at the century of progress international exposition in 1933–34. the indiana society of chicago presented a dramatized version of "injun summer" in 1920 with mccutcheon's son, john jr., portraying the young boy. despite its popularity, the "tribune" began receiving letters of criticism in the 1970s for publishing what some considered as an "ethnically insensitive feature that misrepresented" native americans in the united states. douglas kneeland, a "tribune" editor, called the cartoon "a relic of another age" and "a museum piece." annual publication of "injun summer" was discontinued in 1993.