Three Cartoons by Al Ross: A Lunch Counter, a Library, and a Hammock

Three examples of original cartoon art by Al Ross came up for auction at Heritage on February 18. The cartoon settings are a full lunch counter, a full library, and a full hammock.

The opening bid of $1 had been placed by February 16 when I first visited the sale. Perhaps there might have been more activity if Heritage had not confused the New Yorker cartoonist with illustrator Al Rossi. Or perhaps not.

Al Ross
Heritage Auctions listing accessed February 16, 2028, one or two days before the sale

The works sold at a good price—for the internet buyer:

Al Ross
Heritage Auctions result of February 18, 2026

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-illustration-art/pulp-pulp-like-digests-and-paperback-art/al-rossi-magazine-single-panel-gag-cartoon-illustration-original-art-group-of-3-c-1980s-total-3-original-art-/a/322607-48302.s?ic2=mybidspage-lotlinks-12202013&tab=MyBids-101116#

Al Ross
Heritage Auctions item description

The lunch counter drawing is the earliest of this trio. It was published in 1000 Jokes in May of 1954, if the notation is accurate. Today, it goes without saying, this type of gag would be shunned for its body shaming. Nevertheless, Ross has given his older women expressions which are priceless.

"Right here, Eddie, they won't dare have any dessert!"
Al Ross
1000 Jokes, May 1954 [?]

The hammock drawing was published in 1988 in The New Yorker—except for a small segment on the extreme left.

Al Ross
The New Yorker, June 27, 1988, p. 70

Al Ross
Original art
The New Yorker, June 27, 1988, p. 70

With a cartoon by Al Ross

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1988-06-27/flipbook/070/

Finally, the library drawing was published, I am told, in Books, Books, Books: A Hilarious Collection of Literary Cartoons. The 1988 collection was edited by Sam Gross and Jim Charlton.

"You know who's beginning to annoy me? Homer!"
Al Ross
Original book art
Books, Books, Books: A Hilarious Collection of Literary Cartoons, edited by S. Gross and Jim Charlton, Harper & Row, 1988

05207

Bill and Audrey's Copy of The New Yorker Book of Dog Cartoons

Did I mention that Bill and Audrey were, apparently, friends with New Yorker cartoonist George Booth?

Mike Witte

after Rea Irvin

"To Bill and Audrey!
George Booth."

Title page

Beware! Skittish Dog
George Booth

"Mongrels have it up here."
William Steig

Le Bon Chien
Roz Chast

"First then: the bulk of my estate, excepting certain specific bequest as hereinafter noted, I leave to my true friend and companion, one of God's noblest creatures . . . "
Peter Arno

"Hey, the tide has turned!"
Al Ross

George Booth
eBay listing accessed July 22, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/297485891678?_skw=yorker&itmmeta=01K0TKEDQ00Q9689F5Z1CWJC6J&hash=item45438a785e:g:5C8AAeSwP65ofqQ7

George Booth
eBay item description

Sold!

Note:  Readers who are lucky enough to possess books thus embellished by George Booth are encouraged to share images of them here.

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The New Yorker WETA Book of Cartoons

WETA, owned by the Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association, is the public television station of our nation's capital. In 2004, the station chose to up its game and commissioned the Cartoon Bank to create The New Yorker WETA Book of Cartoons. It is neither very rare nor very common, but two copies of it were spotted in February on eBay.

Front cover cartoon by Mick Stevens
The New Yorker WETA Book of Cartoons

The back cover's cartoon is also by Mick Stevens! What are the chances of that?

Cartoons by Al Ross and Mischa Richter

The New Yorker WETA Book of Cartoons
eBay listing accessed February 9, 2022

https://www.ebay.com/itm/18518557123...

The New Yorker WETA Book of Cartoons
eBay item description

Staten Island cartoonist Aaron Bacall (1939-2015) caught my eye at the top of the Index of Artists. According to Ink Spill, he is a member of the One Club, a cartoonist who had one—and only one—cartoon published in The New Yorker. In his case, it's a gag about a mobile phone. It's a good one, but what on earth could it be doing here in the WETA book?

The answer is that it isn't here. Instead we have this cartoon:

Is Bacall then actually a member of some "Two Club?" He is not. His Kermit cartoon is listed as unpublished. You might very well ask why an unpublished gag is included in a New Yorker collection. I'll have to get back to you on that.

One final note: as a native New Yorker, I'm proud to say that WNET New York's collection was published in 2003, beating WETA by a year.

Covers by Frank Modell and Mick Stevens

Note:  The history of the Cartoon Bank's privately-published collections is shrouded in mystery. How many are there? (Ink Spill quotes a Cartoon Bank employee as answering, "like a thousand," here.) How small were the press runs? It's a muddle, because some books in the series were distributed nationally and others may have been given out only at a single event. I would like to hear, of course, from anyone with the answers. I'd also like to see collections published by other PBS stations and I'd like to hear about other Cartoon Bank collections which might also contain, heaven forfend, any previously unpublished cartoons. (If there is a New Yorker Book of Unpublished Cartoons, I want to see it!) Also curious is the appearance of one cartoonist on the front and back covers. Did this happen more than once?

Michael Maslin's Ink Spill tribute written on the passing of One Clubber Aaron Bacall may be found here. Check out his, Bacall's, only New Yorker cartoon. Only published New Yorker cartoon, that is.

03942

Three Drawings by William Steig

In 2017, three original ink drawings by William Steig were sold by the Clars Auction Gallery of Oakland. Each was framed with a title and date on the matte. The trio had a presale estimate of $600 to $900. No publication history was provided. The lot sold for $500.

William Steig
Clars Auction Gallery auction June 17, 2017

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/drawings-william-steig-5631-c-a654d0283a

So what exactly do we have here? All three drawings, it turns out, are related to The New Yorker. The earliest, at least by publication date, is the Garden of Eden drawing, a mirror-image variant of a 1975 cartoon from the magazine. The published version has a more imposing serpent and a more vertical woman.

The title and date on the matte are evidently spurious.

Drawings by William Steig and George Booth

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1975-03-31/flipbook/024/

The drawing of the moonlit embrace on the veranda is a charming New Yorker original published in 1976.

Again, the date and title provided seem to be made out of whole cloth.

 

Drawings by Charles Barsotti and William Steig

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1976-05-24/flipbook/028/

The wedding drawing was published in the magazine in 1977.

Here the alleged date is a full quarter century off. The supposed title seems a bit too obvious while not really reflecting the contrasting emotions in the drawing. It seems then that at some point all three dates and titles were just made up, perhaps to make a few easy sales without the bother of research.

 

Drawings by William Steig and Al Ross

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1977-04-11/flipbook/030/

03899

Al Ross: Walking the Dog

In cartoonist Al Ross's sketch of a man walking his dog, it's hard to tell who is having the better time. Ross was a master of the loose, fluid line. This sketch, seemingly done in a minute or two, still punches above its weight in conveying movement, personality, and humor.

Al Ross
The Benefit Shop Foundation, January 5, 2022
Hammer price

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/119300109_al-ross-dog-walking-signed-vintage-illustration

Note:  A big thank-you to cartoonist Bob Eckstein for very publicly alerting me (and others) to this auction on his Facebook account.

03852