Thursday, June 30, 2016

George Booth Menu Items

Original 1979 cartoon art by George Booth, who turned 90 this week, offers a glimpse at how the artist goes about creating his unique world. The setting is an ornately-detailed greasy spoon. The two cooks, as unlike as Laurel and Hardy, are drawn to different scales with outlandish differences in height, bulk, and personality—and note, for example, the wildly exaggerated differences in arm circumference! The caption is way out of proportion too, as oversized and ungainly as the speaker. This is a frontal assault on the economy of New Yorker captions, yet the caption is as carefully crafted as any a fraction of its length. There is an air of perfectionism about many of Mr. Booth's drawings as well, with glued bits of paper used to optimize the details while unwanted ink is painted over broadly with white.

"Your Big Jumbo, Roy, is your regular Jumbo with golden French
fries and coleslaw. Your Super Jumbo is your Big Jumbo with slice
of onion, lettuce, tomato, special dressing, and pickle wedge. I've
been watching you, Roy. You're screwing up on the pickle wedge."
George Booth, Original art
The New Yorker, May 14, 1979, page 31

Caption

George Booth, The New Yorker, May 14, 1979, page 31

"Your Big Jumbo, Roy, is your regular Jumbo with golden French
fries and coleslaw. Your Super Jumbo is your Big Jumbo with slice
of onion, lettuce, tomato, special dressing, and pickle wedge. I've
been watching you, Roy. You're screwing up on the pickle wedge."
George Booth, The New Yorker, May 14, 1979, page 31


"Your Big Jumbo, Roy, is your regular Jumbo with golden French
fries and coleslaw. Your Super Jumbo is your Big Jumbo with slice
of onion, lettuce, tomato, special dressing, and pickle wedge. I've
been watching you, Roy. You're screwing up on the pickle wedge."
George Booth, Original art
The New Yorker, May 14, 1979, page 31


Note:  This artwork is in the private collection of "a New Yorker magazine brat" who graciously shared it with us. My thanks.

There is a lot more to see on this blog about the art of George Booth. There are also many examples of original New Yorker cartoon art. Explore the wonders of the art form!

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Wednesday, June 29, 2016

George Booth: Having a Few Friends Over...

Artist George Booth illustrates five party animals for this vintage 1980s set of invitations. Come and join in the fun!

George Booth, We're having a few friends over...

George Booth, We're having a few friends over...
Detail
...and you would fit right in!

Etsy Item Description

Etsy Item Description



Note:  Party on! George Booth, who turned 90 yesterday, has had a number of posts on this blog devoted to his art. You can read any or all of them here. This series of blog posts about Mr. Booth is winding down for now, but but I always welcome photos or scans of original Booth art, published rarities (such as these invitations), correspondence, knickknacks, gewgaws, and other various and sundry Boothiana. I'll just wait here patiently...

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Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Blog Post No. 1900: Think Good Thoughts About George Booth at 90

Cartoonist George Booth, who today turns 90, once made an original drawing for a friend or a fan in a copy of his 1975 collection Think Good Thoughts About a Pussycat. The drawing features one of his signature English Bull Terriers chained to a living room sofa and chewing a throw rug to shreds. The dog tries hard to think "a fairly good thought."

The drawing demonstrates Mr. Booth's casual ease with two-point perspective and with the rendering of spare interiors and deranged dogs. It was created, most likely more than forty years ago, with no expectation that it would ever be seen by anyone other than the original recipient and perhaps a handful of others. Today, the world has changed and quirky obscurities such as this, when uploaded to the internet, can be seen and enjoyed by almost anyone who wishes to. That sounds a lot like progress.

As an added bonus, below are a few recent photographs of George Booth presented on the occasion of his 90th birthday. These photos appear here courtesy of Sarah Booth.




Recent photos of George Booth:
George Booth
Photo courtesy of Sarah Booth

George Booth
Photo courtesy of Sarah Booth

George Booth
Photo courtesy of Sarah Booth


Note:  Thanks to Sarah Booth for the photographs and for her support of her father's work.

Who doesn't love birthdays? Who doesn't love signed books with original drawings? Click on the aqua link to see many fine examples here on Attempted Bloggery. If you want to peruse the best online resource for original drawings in books by George Booth, just take a look at Chris Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Galleries, specifically the George Booth page. By the way, if you are privy to the whereabouts of other original Booth drawings either hidden away inside cartoon books or anywhere else, please pass them along to me for possible inclusion in a future blog post. Remember, there can never be too many Booth drawings here.

Today, shrewd readers may have gathered, is George Booth's 90th birthday. Let's all celebrate by cavorting about with a dancing chicken and reading my collected posts about the art of George Booth. Why not just sit back and enjoy a slice of birthday cake, you ask? Because, as I've learned from George Booth, chickens are funnier.

Michael Maslin's Ink Spill blog is always your best source for news about New Yorker cartoonists including birthday boy George Booth.

If you'd like to read Mr. Booth in his own words—and who wouldn't?—be sure to check out Jane Mattimoe's recent interview with him at A Case for Pencils.

Equally amazing is Richard Gehr's 2013 interview with George Booth for the Comics Journal. Tell them I sent you.

The Attempted Bloggery Centennial Posts
Blog Post No. 100
Blog Post No. 200:  A Shaggy Dog Story
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Monday, June 27, 2016

George Booth: Two Jumping Chickens and One Coughing Hog

A copy of George Booth's cartoon collection Rehearsal's Off! is personalized for Kay Sexton, who was the manager of the first B. Dalton bookstore. Two jumping chickens and one coughing hog are illustrated, a play, it seems, on the Twelve Days of Christmas. It is inscribed as well with wishes for a Happy New Year. The book was published on January 1, 1976 but Ms. Sexton, a leading promotor of books,  may well have received an advance copy.







Note:  Another book from Kay Sexton's collection, this one signed and drawn upon by Edward Koren, was mentioned here last year. Simply click on the aqua link to see it.

 I love sharing signed books with original drawings here on the old blog. Truth be told, the best source for drawings by George Booth found in cartoon books is Chris Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Galleries. Visit his splendid page about George Booth to see them. Then if you should come across any more original Booth drawings in, say, cartoon books or anywhere else, please send them along and I just might include them in a future blog post. You will have made the world a better place.

Please don't go blabbing this to everyone, but George Booth will turn 90 tomorrow. Why not celebrate with some popcorn and my collected posts about the art of George Booth?

Then there's Michael Maslin's Ink Spill blog, your best source for news about New Yorker cartoonists including the man of the hour, George Booth.

But if you'd like to read Mr. Booth in his own words, be sure to check out Jane Mattimoe's recent interview with him at A Case for Pencils.

Semper Fi. Also don't miss Richard Gehr's 2013 interview with George Booth for the Comics Journal. 

I'll ask again:  What's so funny about chickens?

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Sunday, June 26, 2016

George Booth and Chicken C. Chicken

A man in overalls named Chicken C. Chicken looks on rather sheepishly in an original wash drawing by George Booth found in a copy of his 1976 collection Rehearsal's Off! Wash drawings are more likely to be studio creations than souvenirs made at book signings. The book is offered by History for Sale at $719.



History for Sale Listing Copied June 26, 2016


Note:  Signed books with original drawings are one of my favorite topics on this blog. Click on the aqua link to see them all. You might think that after five years of blogging I would have cornered the market on posting drawings by George Booth found in cartoon books, but you would be wrong. There are actually more of them on Chris Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Galleries site than I have to show here. So check out his awesome page about George Booth to get an idea just how varied and interesting the cartoonist's drawings in books are. If you have any original Booth drawings made in cartoon books or elsewhere, please send them to me for inclusion on this blog. I don't like to take a back seat to anyone...

I've been trying to keep this under my hat, but George Booth will turn 90 on Tuesday. Why not celebrate with a loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and my collected posts about the art of George Booth? And thou.

Wait, we're not done here. There's still much to see on Michael Maslin's Ink Spill blog about the soon-to-be-nonagenarian George Booth. Check it all out here.

But if you'd like to read the words of the man himself, check out Jane Mattimoe's recent interview with Mr. Booth at A Case for Pencils.

Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention Richard Gehr's 2013 interview with George Booth for the Comics Journal. Semper Fi.

Now can anyone tell me what's so funny about chickens?

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The Cartoon Issue: George Booth Proposed New Yorker Cover Art

A cover proposal for the New Yorker's annual Cartoon Issue by the legendary George Booth was sold on eBay last summer. The issue, once a yearly highlight but now defunct, is here shown being celebrated by every member of the household...almost.

George Booth, Proposed New Yorker cover art for the Cartoon Issue


EBay Listing Ended July 11, 2015

eBay Item Description

eBay Bid History
Two bids on the last day, one in the final six seconds




Note:  Proposed New Yorker covers aren't all that rare but they are often pretty interesting, particularly when done by some of the magazine's talented contributors. Take a look through the selection in the blog archives by clicking on the aqua link and by all means send along photos or scans of any examples you may have just hanging around the house.

I may have mentioned that George Booth will turn 90 on Tuesday. Why not celebrate with a glass of champagne, a slice of birthday cake, and a screenful of my collected posts about the art of George Booth?

There's also much to see on Michael Maslin's Ink Spill blog about the great George Booth. Check it all out here.

As an added bonus today, if you read Chris Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Galleries you will find on the page about George Booth a beautiful, high-resolution image of the piece discussed briefly above. What do you think of that?

Finally, if you want to know more about this man George Booth—and who doesn't?— you can read Jane Mattimoe's recent interview with Mr. Booth at A Case for Pencils.

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Saturday, June 25, 2016

Jogging with George Booth

In 1980, cartoonist George Booth designed some bedding on the subject of jogging. Along the way he offers lots of good, practical advice. Here's a listing found last year on eBay:












EBay Listing Ending 4/26/2015


EBay Item Description


This bedding is currently available on Etsy, with the added benefit of a good ironing:





Etsy Item Copied June 25, 2016

Etsy Item Description
Also from Etsy are matching pillow covers listed individually at $20:
Start slowly.
Loosen up.
Proper footwear is a must!

Determine your speed.

Don't let the weather slow you down.
Don't cut corners too closely.

Watch out for neighborhood dogs...
Keep your eye on the road.
Stop and rest if you feel the need.

Don't get lost!


Jogging is not just for the young!

Jogging clears the mind and prepares you to
face a new day refreshed and renewed.


Note:  With this post, I hope to make Attempted Bloggery the world's leading authority on bedsheets designed by New Yorker cartoonists. I find you can be very successful in the blogosphere if you don't set your sights too high.

Meanwhile, George Booth will turn 90 this coming Tuesday. There's still time to relive the joy of this blog's collected posts about the art of George Booth.

While you're at it, don't miss Michael Maslin's Ink Spill posts about George Booth which now include a splendid photo of the artist's 90th birthday cake. All may be found here.


Chris Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Galleries is a fine resource on George Booth. Just don't expect to find anything there about bedsheets.

Finally, if you'd like to know more about this great cartoonist, you don't want to miss Jane Mattimoe's recent interview with the man himself at A Case for Pencils.

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