I laughed at the Lorax, "You poor stupid guy! You never can tell what some people will buy." --Dr. Seuss
Friday, January 15, 2021
Singing Along with John Held, Jr.
Thursday, January 14, 2021
John Held, Jr.: My Pious Friends and Drunken Companions
In 1927, amidst the backdrop of Prohibition and its discontents, Frank Shay collected My Pious Friends and Drunken Companions. The book is "magnificently illuminated" by the cartoonist John Held, Jr., showing off his deliberately old-fashioned woodblock style. What caught my eye right off was the bold frontispiece illustration, The Rumrunner's Sister-in-Law. This had been Held's very first New Yorker illustration, appearing in the issue of April 11, 1925.
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The Rumrunner's Sister-in-Law John Held, Jr. The New Yorker, April 11, 1925, page 5 |
An illustrator of Held's popularity gets his name to appear with the same prominence as the author's.
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John Held, Jr. eBay listing accessed January 13, 2021 https://www.ebay.com/itm/My-Pious-Friends-and-Drunken-Companions-by-Frank-Shay-1927-1st-edition/324407172757?hash=item4b882c9e95:g:RicAAOSwjJdfzSY4 |
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John Held, Jr. eBay item description |
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Cartoon by John Held, Jr. |
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Wednesday, January 13, 2021
The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #109
I found my inner child for the Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #109. The drawing is by Robert Leighton. My three captions are posted below but the contest ended prematurely and a new contest was already up at the time I entered, making for some more than usually unfunny juxtapositions. That's what I get for waiting till the last minute.
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"Her Dad's going to repeat the year." "On the internet, they call him a genius." "He calls himself the new kid on the blocks." |
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Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Gahan Wilson: Joystick
An original illustration by Gahan Wilson, c. 1985, has been sold on eBay for $2,250. An executive, presumably, is shown directing the actions of an employee via a joystick controller with a cable. Wilson's colors are vibrant and his crosshatching is exquisite. But what precisely is the context of this image?
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Gahan Wilson eBay listing ended November 26, 2020 |
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Gahan Wilson eBay item description |
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Gahan Wilson Hake's listing of September 24, 2020 |
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Monday, January 11, 2021
My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #738
Below is my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #739 for January 11, 2021. The drawing is by Carolita Johnson.
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"Now you show him how to act like a dog." |
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Saturday, January 9, 2021
Blog Post No. 3500: William Steig's "What Is Art?"
Dick Buchanan, standard-bearer of the Cartoon Clip Files, writes about an original art acquisition:
I bought this piece on eBay many years ago. I won it with just $5 over second place bidder. Whew! It was framed but I took a chance and, as it turned out, it was lightly attached to backboard and was in fabulous condition. I have removed, re-matted and it is now hanging in my tiny workspace at Clip File Headquarters, just around the corner from the Old Joke Cemetery somewhere in New York's scenic Greenwich Village. 'Nuff said.
Excelsior! Let's light up our pipes and have a look:
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Verso Scan by Dick Buchanan |
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Scan by Dick Buchanan |
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Caption Scan by Dick Buchanan |

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The New Yorker Album of Art and Artists (1970) |
Note: Today Dick Buchanan goes beyond his usual Cartoon Clip Files duty to present a superb work of William Steig original cartoon art. Did I say art? Why yes, I suppose I did. Dick contributes regularly to Mike Lynch Cartoons, most recently a blockbuster post entitled "From the Dick Buchanan Files: Barney Tobey Gag Cartoons 1938 - 1966." Check it out for a generous helping of Tobey's non-New Yorker work. This is Dick's 59th contribution to Attempted Bloggery. Thanks for all you do, Dick!
By the way, contributions of original art by William Steig are always welcome here.
Now, class, what is art? Raise your hand if you know.
The Attempted Bloggery Centennial Posts 💯
Blog Post No. 100
Blog Post No. 200: A Shaggy Dog Story
Blog Post No. 3000: The Vatican Museums 2019
Blog Post No. 3100: Frank Beaven's Dickensian Christmas
Blog Post No. 3200: St. Patrick's Day 1938—Will Cotton Original New Yorker Cover Art
Blog Post No. 3300: "GIve Up?" by Whitney Darrow, Jr.
Blog Post No. 3400: The 1942 Navy Relief Show Program