Marcelle Methlin's Copy of Which Way Did He Go? by Ronald Searle

In 1961 cartoonist Ronald Searle left his English wife Kaye Webb for Monica Koenig and moved to Paris. Short on cash, he was eager to barter his artwork for rent, food, and wine. His social center became the Restaurant des Beaux-Arts on the Left Bank, owned by Marcelle Methlin. In February of 1962, Searle presented one Marcelle with a personalized and hand-illustrated copy of his 1961 collection Which Way Did He Go? It has a watercolor of a bearded artist who looks very much like Searle creating a drip painting of the dedication "Pour Marcelle." It is my conjecture that this Marcelle and the friendly restaurateur are one and the same.

Back cover with a detail of Broadway, NY

Ronald Searle
eBay listing ended September 24, 2023

https://www.ebay.com/itm/392594507350?hash=item5b6874c656:g:jysAAOSwt8Jd3mbS&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8Ci2umlvShRdOb40xRE0UVQ%2Btp8usr4H6IrO54WpkcNcs2BAPggHtekHnKdEhSPcOmdkWwHcKcUx%2BMDYbR8Wi2rWWlmVsnHhtmnRERr4gfOhW10v%2B6opIDUEe4lhgRI8Oa9

sc7h6iY8y9Z36OFlrIBmJWUZEn1XoMGMiluOkL6GECc6PMfHq%2FnMha4%2BRrWBDafbxw9KvsRBGg1eELKl0sfVd74JN1SeX0gFAMANqxGXTk%2FDZz5mkrWuXAe8jqWVplgICro5x7HcJW8yj0OzYJ0YeBMiZoUG8IrwPUoJ3RoeGU%2FEOe%2FKDe0jzpHXaIckPzA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR57sn8XYYg

Sold for best offer of 1,960 Euros

Note:  This is far and away the best copy of Which Way Did He Go? that I've posted; actually it's the only copy on the blog. Readers with a cartoon book that's also a candidate for best copy, whether by Ronald Searle or otherwise, are encouraged to submit it to the blog.

For further reading on Searle, Marcelle Methlin, and the Restaurant des Beaux-Arts, see Perpetua, the Ronald Searle Tribute blog's 2014 post "Bohème."

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