Cartoonist George Price indulged a love for the preposterous. Price's captions were the work of accomplished gag writers but his drawings reflected a quirky sensibility that was all his own. His interiors may have been cluttered with the rubbish of consumer culture, but his exteriors could be equally absurd if not more so. A case in point is his New Yorker cartoon of August 13, 1938, the original art for which was just sold on eBay. Price's technical mastery is superb, lending an uncomfortable plausibility to the ridiculous airborne scenario.
One surprise here is the use of color. Price typically shaded his originals with a blue wash which was reproduced as gray by the printer. New Yorker cartoons of the era were always reproduced without color. The addition of reds and yellows to Price's balloons give the original an added playfulness which the artist had to know couldn't be reproduced on the printed page. After publication, color seems to have been further added to the woman's dress and the buildings, conveying an increased beauty and depth to the original. But why might Price have gone even to the length of adding red to the inside of the man's mouth? Could he have been preparing to give the original to a friend, hoping to spark a sale, or perhaps merely amusing himself? Whatever the case, the original art looks wonderful.
When one looks at the original side by side with the published cartoon, there are other anomalies besides the shading. The signature was transposed photographically to the left to allow for the right-sided placement of the caption. This puts the caption closer to the speaker and in this case allows it to float with the speaker. This practice of nonstandard caption placement was not so uncommon back then.
More importantly though, the angle of the composition has been altered. The original, at least as it sits behind the matte, has the verticals of the near building slanting slightly towards the lower left. This creates an added sense of height and depth with perhaps the ungrounded feeling that we too are floating above the scene and gazing slightly downward at an uneasy angle. As it appears in the magazine though, the building's vertical line is perfectly vertical. Frankly, I prefer what I take to be Price's unconventional perspective.
Note: Attempted Bloggery seeks additional examples of high-flying original art by George Price. Happy landings.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:
George Price
Original New Yorker Cartoon Art
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| "Buy a balloon, lady? I'm working my way down to the street." George Price Original art The New Yorker, August 13, 1938, page 10 |
One surprise here is the use of color. Price typically shaded his originals with a blue wash which was reproduced as gray by the printer. New Yorker cartoons of the era were always reproduced without color. The addition of reds and yellows to Price's balloons give the original an added playfulness which the artist had to know couldn't be reproduced on the printed page. After publication, color seems to have been further added to the woman's dress and the buildings, conveying an increased beauty and depth to the original. But why might Price have gone even to the length of adding red to the inside of the man's mouth? Could he have been preparing to give the original to a friend, hoping to spark a sale, or perhaps merely amusing himself? Whatever the case, the original art looks wonderful.
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| "Buy a balloon, lady? I'm working my way down to the street." George Price Framed original art The New Yorker, August 13, 1938, page 10 |
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| George Price's signature |
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| George Price eBay Listing Ended April 25, 2019 |
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| George Price eBay Item Description |
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| George Price eBay Bid History One bidder only, so strategy wasn't an issue |
More importantly though, the angle of the composition has been altered. The original, at least as it sits behind the matte, has the verticals of the near building slanting slightly towards the lower left. This creates an added sense of height and depth with perhaps the ungrounded feeling that we too are floating above the scene and gazing slightly downward at an uneasy angle. As it appears in the magazine though, the building's vertical line is perfectly vertical. Frankly, I prefer what I take to be Price's unconventional perspective.
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| "Buy a balloon, lady? I'm working my way down to the street." George Price Original art The New Yorker, August 13, 1938, page 10 |
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| Cartoons by George Price and Barbara Shermund |
Note: Attempted Bloggery seeks additional examples of high-flying original art by George Price. Happy landings.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:
George Price
Original New Yorker Cartoon Art
Attempted Bloggery's Ballooning Index
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