William Von Riegen in College Humor, April 1938

In the Spring a livelier iris changes on the burnish'd dove;

In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.

—Alfred, Lord Tennyson
"Locksley Hall"

Spring is in the air once again in April of 1938. College Humor magazine cartoons by William Von Riegen lightly turn to thoughts of love. Of course, the lover can't be just anybody...

"But, dad—I tell you she's different."
William Von Riegen, College Humor, Vol. 7, No. 4, April 1938, page 33

The women are getting frisky as well. This cartoon is published without a signature, but that might be the loop of Von Riegen's R just discernible in the lower left corner.

"Wait a minute, lady—I'm only the butler."

William Von Riegen [?], College Humor, Vol. 7, No. 4, April 1938, page 34

The cartoonist's depiction of what goes on in the workplace would be absolutely deplorable—if it weren't at least partly true. This line is meant by the boss (and maybe by the editors) to be cute, but it's clear from the secretary's face that the attention is unwanted and even menacing as well.

"Take a kiss, Miss Spencer."

William Von Riegen, College Humor, Vol. 7, No. 4, April 1938, page 39

Note:  The April 1938 number of College Humor shown here is a part of the Steven Boss humor magazine collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Columbia University. My thanks to librarian Karen Green, the Curator for Comics and Cartoons at Columbia, for helping me to track down this and other issues.


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