Attempted Bloggery

Monday, February 9, 2026

My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #978

In The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #978 from the issue of February 9, 2026, a man opens his front door to let in an ocean wave while a woman inside the house stands on a surf board awaiting its arrival. The man speaks. The drawing is by Michael Maslin.

"I left the back door open."

These captions didn't hang ten:

"Cowabunga."
"Be back for dinner. I'm making fish."
"Is this one gnarly enough?"

Note: In 2019, Michael Maslin wrote a Personal History about his (and other New Yorker cartoonists's) use of the versatile caption "It's for you." Read it here. After all, it's for you.

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Sunday, February 8, 2026

Peter Arno: The Fireman's Pledge

An early cartoon original by Peter Arno was sold by Clarke Auction Gallery of Larchmont in 2020.

"Now remember, you promised!"
Peter Arno
Original art

Arno imbues the rescue scene with all the bawdy innuendo he can muster. That fireman is surely brave, but he is no match for the mature, stout, playful, woman descending the ladder in her nightgown.

"Now remember, you promised!"
Peter Arno
Framed original art

Alas, there is some surface loss to the original.

Conveniently, the caption has been written on the back.

The back of the frame

The caption

Peter Arno
Clarke Auction Gallery listing of April 26, 2020

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/peter-arno-american-1904-1968-now-remember-50-c-01241b78bb

Peter Arno
Clarke Auction Gallery item description

https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/clarke/fine-art-jewelry-antiques-asian-midcentury-auction-5040?page=2#catalog

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Saturday, February 7, 2026

Peter Arno: The Fireman's Farewell

In a 1939 New Yorker cartoon, Peter Arno's firefighter bids farewell to a befuddled homeowner:

"Well, if you ever need us again just give us a ring."
Peter Arno
Original art
The New Yorker, June 17, 1939, p. 18

The cartoon reads left to right, foreground to background. The firefighter is the most prominent and the most illuminated figure. He is leaving the scene, but he leans back into the cartoon panel with a raised arm. You can't miss him. The poor, portly homeowner in his robe is seen next seemingly trying to lean back out of the frame. There is no place for him to go. The smoldering ruins of the home are behind him. The firemen have left behind great reflecting puddles of water in the middle ground. The birdcage is a fine comic detail which may or may not be noticed later. Anyone whose eyes linger over an Arno drawing can expect to be rewarded.

The original art, framed and matted, was sold yesterday at Heritage Auctions. It was the useful practice of Barbara Nicholls of the Nicholls Gallery in the 1970s and 1980s to write the caption on the matte in a calligraphic hand. No doubt Irvin Greif, Jr., purchased the artwork from her. Her ink has faded over the years more than Arno's.

"Well, if you ever need us again just give us a ring."
Peter Arno
Framed original art
The New Yorker, June 17, 1939, p. 18

On the back of the artwork, The New Yorker's founding editor Harold Ross approved the drawing with his customary R.

Verso with Ross's R

Bidding opened at $1,250 some three weeks before the sale with no reserve. The first bid appeared quickly, proof, if any were needed, that Arno's star continues to shine bright in the firmament of New Yorker cartoonists.

Peter Arno
Heritage Auctions Mainstream Illustration listing of February 6, 2026

https://fineart.ha.com/itm/mainstream-illustration/peter-arno-american-1904-1968-just-give-us-a-ring-new-yorker-cartoon-june-17-1939ink-and-wash-on/a/15263-17108.s?ic2=mytracked-lotspage-lotlinks-12202013&tab=MyTrackedLots-101116

Peter Arno
Heritage Auctions Mainstream Illustration item description

The work sold for $5,000 plus a 25% buyer's premium of $1,250. In other words, the final buyer's premium was the same as the amount of the opening bid.

Here's how it appeared in the magazine:

"Well, if you ever need us again just give us a ring."
Peter Arno
The New Yorker, June 17, 1939, p. 18

"Well, if you ever need us again just give us a ring."
Peter Arno
Original art
The New Yorker, June 17, 1939, p. 18

With a cartoon by Peter Arno and a spot drawing by Victor de Pauw

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1939-06-17/flipbook/018/

* * *

On the page opposite, Victor de Pauw's spot drawing of a railway station is as unassuming as Arno's cartoon is bold.

Spot drawing of a railway station
Victor de Pauw
The New Yorker, June 17, 1939, p. 19

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Tuesday, February 3, 2026

The CartoonStock Cartoon Caption Contest No. 202

In the CartoonStock Caption Contest number 202, a creature I take to be Bigfoot is giving a statement to the news media. He is the speaker. The cartoonist is Bill Whitehead.

The rules of the monthly cash prize contest have not changed: Five dollars buys up to three entries. Real cash prizes are $500 for first place and $100 for each of five runners up. As of this writing, I've put $235 into the first forty-seven pay-to-play contests and this forty-eighth challenge brings my total cash outlay up to $240. Having achieved runner-up status with three previous entries, I've collected $300 from CartoonStock, so I'm playing with the house's money, thank you very much. In fact, so few contestants enter that the odds may generally be considered favorable even for less-gifted caption writers. My three entries this round are shown below, above the break.

"I don't know my shoe size. Why?"
"If you want to see more of me, I'm on OnlyFans."
"I ask that you leave Nessie and me alone."
* * *
"Is it any wonder I don't come out of the woods?"
"Again, no comment."

The Judges Deliberate

Video added February 8, 2026

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Monday, February 2, 2026

My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #977

In The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #977 from the issue of February 2, 2026, a couple walking on the beach spots a fish half out of water reading a book. The woman speaks. The drawing is by P. C. Vey.

"The poor thing can't wait to evolve legs."

These captions were all washed up:

"I was looking for a good beach read."
"Because otherwise the ink would run."
"Why can't WE find the time to read?"
"But what if they ALL read Isaac Walton?"
"Isn't that cute? He's reading Kilgore Trout."
"I could never manage such small type."
"It's probably just some fish story."

February 8, 2026 Update: The Finalists

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Saturday, January 31, 2026

W. B. Park: Two From Bakery Business

Two illustrations from the children's book Bakery Business (1983) by cartoonist W. B. Park were sold on eBay last fall.

This eBay seller, sellallucan, quirkily likes to photograph both the left and right sides of a given original. In this case, where allowance is made for the crease between the pages, that almost makes sense.

According to Park's biography on the book jacket flap, he resided in in Winter Park, Florida. The eBay seller is today located there. Of the many magazines his work appeared in, The New Yorker is, of course, listed first, followed by Smithsonian and Fortune. Surely TV Guide would have been worth a mention here as well.