A problem with many of the older Esquire cartoons, including not a few of those by the talented E. Simms Campbell, is that their primary purpose doesn't seem to be to make us laugh. A case in point is a color cartoon set at the beach from the February 1953 issue.
The reaction expressed on the face of the woman in the two-piece bathing suit indicates that something utterly shocking has been said to her by the young girl, yet the printed caption—". . . And when will I be old enough to wear a two-piece bathing suit?"—seems benign in the extreme. It's cute maybe in an "out of the mouths of babes" kind of way, but no male Esquire reader was really looking for a gag about innocently disarming words spoken by a little girl. Instead this gag is very much about stealing a peak at the woman in her bikini—it's February back home after all—and enjoying the stunned and surprised reaction that leaves her speechless. In other words, this is more or less a hybrid of a pin-up and a gag cartoon, and the gag suffers for it.
Note: Well, that about covers it! Attempted Bloggery continues its survey of the work of artist E. Simms Campbell (1906-1971). Ambitious readers—that's you—can assist incurable bloggers—that's me—by providing high-resolution scans or photographs of outstanding original Campbell art or perhaps of rare published cartoons—such as this one.
The reaction expressed on the face of the woman in the two-piece bathing suit indicates that something utterly shocking has been said to her by the young girl, yet the printed caption—". . . And when will I be old enough to wear a two-piece bathing suit?"—seems benign in the extreme. It's cute maybe in an "out of the mouths of babes" kind of way, but no male Esquire reader was really looking for a gag about innocently disarming words spoken by a little girl. Instead this gag is very much about stealing a peak at the woman in her bikini—it's February back home after all—and enjoying the stunned and surprised reaction that leaves her speechless. In other words, this is more or less a hybrid of a pin-up and a gag cartoon, and the gag suffers for it.
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| ". . . And when will I be old enough to wear a two-piece bathing suit?" E. Simms Campbell Esquire, February 1953, page 33 |
Note: Well, that about covers it! Attempted Bloggery continues its survey of the work of artist E. Simms Campbell (1906-1971). Ambitious readers—that's you—can assist incurable bloggers—that's me—by providing high-resolution scans or photographs of outstanding original Campbell art or perhaps of rare published cartoons—such as this one.
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