Three previously-unknown redraws of New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams came to light when they were brought to auction early in 2021. One of them has the character we know today as Lurch bringing the one we call Morticia her tea. (Addams Family characters were not assigned names until the 1964 television series a full quarter century after this drawing was published.) There is a broken table lamp that serves as a single light source, allowing the two figures to be front lit while casting dark shadows behind them. Addams in 1939 was already a master of architectural detail, presenting it in a state of dilapidation to enhance the gothic, spooky atmosphere.
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| A cartoon by Charles Addams and a spot drawing by Roger Duvoisin |
The cartoon was also to appear in Drawn and Quartered (1942), Addams's first collection:
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| https://thecarycollection.com/products/drawn-and-quartered-1942-addams-chas |
It was later used on the cover of the first revised paperback edition published by Pocket Books (1964):
There was a published print with the caption printed in Addams's hand from his original:
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| https://www.ebay.ca/itm/153076797703 |
The redraw of this cartoon was made no later than the late 1940s. There are some noteworthy differences from the New Yorker drawing, particularly the peering presence of Thing, above. It was sold at auction in early 2021 for a hammer price of 5500 GBP.
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| Chas Addams's signature is on the left, not the right, in the redraw. It is also a later signature than seen in the 1939 example. |
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| Detail of Thing peering down from above. Thing is not to be found in the New Yorker drawing, although the ceiling panel is there. |
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| Detail with foxing |
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| Verso |
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| Detail of verso |
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| The handwritten caption is in all capital letters. Is it in Addams's hand? |
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| Detail of Morticia and Lurch |
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| Charles Addams Lay's Auctioneers Fine Art Sale of January 29, 2021 |
Here they are, published drawing and redraw, presented together for comparison:
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
Note: I wish again to thank the uncredited individual who told me of this sale back when it happened. You know who you are.
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| Tree Movers Spot drawing Roger Duvoisin The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 17 |
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