The situation in the cartoon doesn't seem all that funny at first. A woman, Maureen, takes her five children and the three pets and she walks out on her husband, leaving him alone in their squalid apartment. The original drawing is expertly rendered by George Price (1901-1995). The cartoon was purchased by The New Yorker in 1988 and published in its pages in 1990:
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| "Damn it, Maureen! You just don't break up a winning combination." George Price Original art The New Yorker, February 12, 1990, p. 37 The composition is wonderful, guiding our eye from the seated husband at left, past the children who can walk and the pets, to the overburdened mother at the right. We see her suitcase pretty much last and it is that which explains everything we've already observed. So what makes this funny? It's got to be the brilliant caption which runs counter to everything Price has drawn and tells us all we need to know about the two differing perspectives on the marriage. There's another great touch: Price has placed a horseshoe askew on the wall for good luck. |
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| George Price's signature |
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| Handwritten caption |
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| George Price Casco Bay Auctions, Twentieth Century Art & Design, lot 303, bidding as of September 3, 2023 |
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| Who's Maurice? I count three errors in the auction house's caption. George Price Casco Bay Auctions, Twentieth Century Art & Design, lot 303 item description |
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| Bidding as of September 3, 2023 |
The lot was sold for a hammer price of $450 plus a $90 buyer's premium if purchased directly through the auction house, or else $126 through Invaluable:
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| "Damn it, Maureen! You just don't break up a winning combination." George Price Original art The New Yorker, February 12, 1990, p. 37 |
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