Bob Mankoff: What Women Want

Before Bob Mankoff was the New Yorker's cartoon editor, he had a two-decade career cartooning for the magazine. Here's a great example of his art from 1990, selling, it would seem, for a song.

Bob Mankoff, original art, The New Yorker, February 26, 1990, page 43
"Women want more these days, Bill—it's not enough
just to be a jerk anymore."

Detail showing the underlying pencil marks

Bob Mankoff's signature

The back of the frame

Bob Mankoff

http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/robert-mankoff-american,-20th-21st-century-498-c-6dc447b9e9

Bob Mankoff, The New Yorker, February 26, 1990, page 43
"Women want more these days, Bill—it's not enough
just to be a jerk anymore."

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1990-02-26#folio=042

Note:  Attempted Bloggery is always looking for original art by Bob Mankoff to share with an increasingly humorless world.

As of tomorrow, Emma Allen will be the New Yorker's new cartoon editor. For those who wish to view this change in its proper historical perspective, I present the magazine's complete roster of art editors and cartoon editors since 1925.

From Mr. Geraghty's time to 1993, the art editor was responsible for covers and cartoons. Since 1993, the art editor has been responsible only for covers and the cartoon editor has been responsible only for cartoons.

Rea Irvin, art supervisor, 1925-1939; art director, 1939-1951

James Geraghty, art editor, 1939-1972

Lee Lorenz, art editor, 1973-1993; cartoon editor, 1993-1997

Françoise Mouly, art editor, 1993-

Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor, 1997-2017

Emma Allen, cartoon editor, 2017-


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Rea Irvin

James Geraghty

Lee Lorenz

Françoise Mouly

Bob Mankoff

Emma Allen

Original New Yorker Cartoon Art

Attempted Bloggery's Woman-Pleasing Index

02173

The New Yorker Book of Golf Cartoons Signed by Bob Mankoff with a Drawing

The New Yorker's departing cartoon editor Bob Mankoff has probably signed more New Yorker books than anyone in history. Sometimes he adds a drawing too. He might even hold the record there as well.

Michael Witte, The New Yorker Book of Golf Cartoons
(Princeton:  Bloomberg Press, 2002)

The New Yorker Book of Golf Cartoons (Princeton:  Bloomberg Press, 2002) al fresco
Back cover by Alain

Inscribed "for Tim from Bob Mankoff" with a cartoon self-portrait

The New Yorker Book of Golf Cartoons (Princeton:  Bloomberg Press, 2002)
Front inside flap with a drawing by Chon Day

Title page

Signed by Bob Mankoff
eBay Listing Ended January 12, 2017

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIGNED-BY-ROBERT-MANKOFF-The-New-Yorker-Book-of-Golf-Cartoons-2002-HC-1ST-ED-/142211608884?hash=item211c78f134%3Ag%3A8zIAAOSwal5YKJdx&nma=true&si=YQGb25QThn5Fxe78BW8tTy6VzZY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Signed by Bob Mankoff
eBay Item Description

Note:  As of Monday, Emma Allen will be the New Yorker's brand spanking new cartoon editor. Will she sign as many books as Bob Mankoff did? Will she attempt to draw in them? Why am I the only one to ask the really tough questions? It's because I have a sense of history. That is why, as a public service, I present to you the magazine's complete roster of art editors and cartoon editors. There's no need to thank me; I've been cutting and pasting it all week.

From Mr. Geraghty's time to 1993, the art editor was responsible for covers and cartoons. Since 1993, the art editor has been responsible only for covers and the cartoon editor has been responsible only for cartoons.

Rea Irvin, art supervisor, 1925-1939; art director, 1939-1951

James Geraghty, art editor, 1939-1972

Lee Lorenz, art editor, 1973-1993; cartoon editor, 1993-1997

Françoise Mouly, art editor, 1993-

Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor, 1997-2017

Emma Allen, cartoon editor, 2017-


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Rea Irvin

James Geraghty

Lee Lorenz

Françoise Mouly

Bob Mankoff

Emma Allen

The New Yorker

Golf

Alain

Chon Day

Michael Witte

Attempted Bloggery's Swinging Index

02171

Modern Cartoonists Fight to Keep Pace with Changing Times, 1972

"Now [James Geraghty's] talking about retiring, but is holding off because nobody has been found to replace him."

The Washington Post news service

The Geneva Times, August 2, 1972

It was the end of an era. Of the many magazines which once published cartoons, the market by 1972 had shrunk somehow to the point of having only one major player: The New Yorker. The cartoon editor, James Geraghty, who had been hired in 1938, was getting set to retire. By 1973, Lee Lorenz would be named his successor. This was the big story in magazine cartooning forty-five years ago, and it sounds an awful lot like the story today. Once again it feels like the end of an era. As a publisher of single-panel cartoons, the New Yorker is even more isolated among magazines than it was in 1972. This time around, it is Bob Mankoff, Lorenz's successor, who is retiring as cartoon editor. Emma Allen is setting out to steward the next phase of this singular art form we call the New Yorker cartoon.

"Modern Cartoonists Fight to Keep Pace with Changing Times," The Washington Post news service
The Geneva Times, August 2, 1972, page 32

Scan courtesy of Michael Maslin

Note:  Thanks to Michael Maslin for providing this hard-to-find article. His blog Ink Spill reports on the world of New Yorker cartoonists.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

James Geraghty

Lee Lorenz

Bob Mankoff

Emma Allen

The New Yorker

Attempted Bloggery's Retiring Index

02170

Ben Yagoda Reviews Lee Lorenz, 1995

Ben Yagoda is the author of About Town:  The New Yorker and the World It Made (New York: Scribner, 2000). In 1995, while he was working on the book, he reviewed The Art of The New Yorker, 1925-1995,  Lee Lorenz's magnum opus, for the Times Book Review.

"It Was Never Spinach," Ben Yagoda, The New York Times Book Review, October 22, 1995

Note:  As of next week, Emma Allen will be the New Yorker's new cartoon editor. As a public service, Attempted Bloggery is proud to present the magazine's roster of art editors and cartoon editors. From Mr. Geraghty's time to 1993, the art editor was responsible for both the covers and the cartoons. Since 1993, the art editor has been responsible only for covers and the cartoon editor has been responsible only for cartoons.

Rea Irvin, art supervisor, 1925-1939; art director, 1939-1951

James Geraghty, art editor, 1939-1972

Lee Lorenz, art editor, 1973-1993; cartoon editor, 1993-1997

Françoise Mouly, art editor, 1993-

Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor, 1997-2017

Emma Allen, cartoon editor, 2017-


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Ben Yagoda

Rea Irvin

James Geraghty

Lee Lorenz

Françoise Mouly

Bob Mankoff

Emma Allen

The New Yorker

The New York Times Book Review

The Art of The New Yorker 1925-1995

Attempted Bloggery's Magnum Opus of an Index

02169

Rea Irvin's Wry Spirit, 1996

A 1996 exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York provided a showcase for the artwork of Rea Irvin, the New Yorker's founding art supervisor. He, of course, was the creator of Eustace Tilley, the magazine's mascot who appeared on the first cover in 1925 and then subsequently on anniversary covers, at least until recent times. The show was called "The Talk of the Town:  Rea Irvin of The New Yorker" and it was reviewed by playwright David Ives in the Times:

"Rea Irvin:  Wry Spirit in the Age of Gatsby," David Ives, The New York Times, February 16, 1996

"Rea Irvin:  Wry Spirit in the Age of Gatsby," David Ives, The New York Times, February 16, 1996

Note:  As of next week, Emma Allen will be the New Yorker's new cartoon editor. Here's the magazine's all-time roster of art editors and cartoon editors. Prior to 1993, the art editor was responsible for covers and cartoons. Since 1993, the art editor has been responsible only for covers and the cartoon editor has been responsible only for the cartoons. So be it.

Rea Irvin, art supervisor, 1925-1939; art director, 1939-1951

James Geraghty, art editor, 1939-1972

Lee Lorenz, art editor, 1973-1993; cartoon editor, 1993-1997

Françoise Mouly, art editor, 1993-

Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor, 1997-2017

Emma Allen, cartoon editor, 2017-


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Rea Irvin

Eustace Tilley

The New Yorker

The New York Times

James Geraghty

Lee Lorenz

Françoise Mouly

Bob Mankoff

Emma Allen

Attempted Bloggery's Uneditable Index

02168

The New Yorker and Bob Mankoff Rethink Cartoons, 1997

Twenty years ago, Bob Mankoff was named cartoon editor of the New Yorker. The New York Times business section covered it as "Tradition on Trial As New Yorker Rethinks Cartoons." This week, Mr. Mankoff retires as cartoon editor of the venerable magazine. In hindsight, the problems cited in the Times article about the business of cartooning at the New Yorker and elsewhere seem more entrenched than ever.

"Tradition on Trial As New Yorker Rethinks Cartoons," Constance L. Hays, The New York Times, June 9, 1997

Cartoons by William Steig, Charles Addams, Lee Lorenz, and Bob Mankoff
"Tradition on Trial As New Yorker Rethinks Cartoons," Constance L. Hays, The New York Times, June 9, 1997

In the first column, Ms. Hays cites a Jack Ziegler cartoon from the June 9, 1997 issue as one "so dependent on the moment that [it] may not last." It's twenty years later now. Has it really aged that badly?

Jack Ziegler, The New Yorker, June 9, 1997, page 71

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1997-06-09#folio=070

In the final column of the piece, semiotics professor Marshall Blonsky singles out another cartoon from the issue which "particularly disturbed him." He says, "...it's got the wrong caption. No one wants to make pie crust any longer." You can decide for yourself whether Michael Maslin's cartoon has held up better than Marshall Blonsky's criticism of it:

"If I told you the secret of making light, flaky piecrust, it
wouldn't be much of a secret anymore, now would it?"
Michael Maslin, The New Yorker, June 9, 1997, page 50

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1997-06-09#folio=050

Note:  As of next week, Emma Allen will be the New Yorker's new cartoon editor. For handy reference, here is the magazine's roster of art editors and cartoon editors. From Mr. Geraghty's time to 1993, the art editor was responsible for covers and cartoons. Since 1993, the art editor has been responsible only for covers and the cartoon editor has been responsible only for cartoons.

Rea Irvin, art supervisor, 1925-1939; art director, 1939-1951

James Geraghty, art editor, 1939-1972

Lee Lorenz, art editor, 1973-1993; cartoon editor, 1993-1997

Françoise Mouly, art editor, 1993-

Bob Mankoff, cartoon editor, 1997-2017

Emma Allen, cartoon editor, 2017-


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Bob Mankoff

Tina Brown

The New Yorker

The New York Times

Charles Addams

Edward Koren

Peter Kuper

Lee Lorenz

Michael Maslin

William Steig

Jack Ziegler

Barbara Nicholls

Attempted Bloggery's Iconoclastic Index

Care for some pie?

02167

My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #566

Avast, ye landlubbers! Here be me entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #566 for April 24, 2017. The drawing be rendered by Mick Stevens.

"I never expected a happy ending."

May 1, 2017 Update:  The Finalists

May 8, 2017 Update:  I voted for the first caption, of course.


May 15, 2017 Update:  Winning Caption

Not that you asked, but the caption I chose came in third.


Note:  Last week, cartoonist P. C. Vey was absolutely on fire, but my caption apparently wasn't. Light up and enjoy Contest #565.

How many other blogs do you suppose can offer posts about both Mick Stevens and Herman Melville? Not too many, I'll wager.

02166

Email We Never Finished Reading: You're Approved...

Back in the day, the New Yorker used to run Newsbreaks to fill out columns of text. These short pieces would having recurring titles like Letters We Never Finished Reading. In that spirit, here's an email that's not nearly personalized enough to get all the way through.

02165

An Unconventional Convention: Garrett Price Proposed New Yorker Cover Art

Can a proposed New Yorker cover be a little too ambitious? Garrett Price depicted familiar scenes from a political convention in a variety of artistic styles and placed them on the spiraling walls of Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Guggenheim Museum. The resulting hodgepodge doesn't quite work as a convincing political reflection or as an artistic commentary. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opened its Fifth Avenue site in 1959 so this concept art can provisionally be dated to the summer of 1960, the next Presidential election year. The delegations of Alaska and Hawaii are shown prominently and this was the first Presidential election in which those new states participated.

Garrett Price
Proposed New Yorker cover art, c. 1960

Detail

Detail
Note the prominent placement of Alaska and Hawaii. The 1960 Presidential election (Nixon vs. Kennedy) was the first in which the two newest states got to participate.

Detail

Detail

Detail

Detail

Detail

Garrett Price's signature

Verso

Garrett Price
eBay listing ended March 5, 2017

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Garrett-Price-ORIGINAL-THE-NEW-YORKER-COVER-Old-Modernist-PAINTING-4-NO-RESERVE-/361910161787?hash=item544386d17b%3Ag%3AcZMAAOSwTuJYrpDy&nma=true&si=YQGb25QThn5Fxe78BW8tTy6VzZY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Garrett Price
eBay Item Description

eBay Bid History
The prize goes to the very last bid—by one second.

Garrett Price
Proposed New Yorker cover art

Spoiler Alert:  In the 1960 Presidential election, Democrat John F. Kennedy defeated Republican Richard M. Nixon.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Garrett Price

Proposed New Yorker Cover Art

Politics

Attempted Bloggery's Unconventional Index

02164