Kudos to those hardworking individuals who can ensure that their families are well-taken care of. Daniel H. Borinsky has done his homework on the subject, rounding up the appearances of such successful wage earners in New Yorker cartoons through the years. He notes specifically that over the course of three decades, from 1952 to 1982, The New Yorker published at least six cartoons where a woman referred to her spouse as a "good provider." How then did New Yorker cartoonists handle this lucrative subject?
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"One thing I'll say for him—he's always been a good provider."
Charles Addams
The New Yorker, February 23, 1952, page 25 |
Unfortunately, cannibalistic African tribes were a common cartoon trope at least into the 1950s. Still, Charles Addams manages to give the notion of the good provider his own macabre twist.
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"I'll say this for Harry. He's a good provider, he
doesn't run around, and he's never struck me except in self-defense."
George Price
The New Yorker, March 14, 1953, page 26 |
Fooled you! The caption on the George Price cartoon doesn't quite end up where you thought it was going, does it?
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"I'll say this for him—he's a good provider."
Robert Day
The New Yorker, November 20, 1965, page 47 |
Robert Day provides a native variation on the theme.
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"Ed's always been a good provider."
George Price
The New Yorker, September 15, 1980, page 45 |
George Price again. This time around it is not the caption, which is straightforward, but the drawing that totally subverts our expectations.
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"Not the easiest man in the kingdom to live with,
needless to say, but a damned good provider."
Edward Frascino
The New Yorker, May 17, 1982, page 40 |
Edward Frascino adds a memorable royal personality to the theme as well as some opulence not present in the previous examples.
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"I must say, Nelson, you've always been a good provider."
Barney Tobey
The New Yorker, June 25, 1984, page 30 |
Did somebody say opulence? Barney Tobey gives us a beautiful drawing showing us the sort of extravagant lifestyle that money can buy. The caption is thus relegated to an understatement.
So then, what's left for a cartoonist to do?
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"I'll say this much for her—she's always been a good provider."
William Hamilton
The New Yorker, April 17, 1989, page 117 |
To conclude, Dan writes about William Hamilton's contribution to the series:
However, the seventh cartoon of this kind, in 1989, reversed the premise—this time it was the man who praised his wife as a “good provider." The first six appearances of “good provider” were clichés about the then-general dependence of a wife on her husband’s earnings. But the reversal in 1989 was a reflection of the growing financial status of women in American society.
Right you are, Dan. I would only add that our tennis-playing friend seems to be quite at ease with his role in this social upheaval.
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Spot by Ludwig Bemelmans and cartoon by Charles Addams
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Cartoons by George Price and Alan Dunn
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Spot by Judith Shahn and cartoon by Robert Day
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Spot by Henry Martin and cartoon by George Price
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Cartoons by Edward Frascino and Charles Barsotti
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Cartoons by Barney Tobey and Michael Crawford
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| Cartoon by William Hamilton |
Note: Many thanks to Daniel Borinsky for himself being a good provider of New Yorker cartoon research. This is Dan's second contribution to the blog. One hopes there will be many more.
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