Barbara Shermund: Trophy Wall

An original color cartoon by Barbara Shermund changed hands on eBay three months ago for $700. It depicts two men, one proudly showing off his fishing trophies to the other. The wall display includes a mounted mermaid. I confess I can't make out a word of the caption, but the keen-eyed seller apparently can.

"And there's one, my boy, that gave me quite a battle!"
Barbara Shermund
Original art
Pictorial Review, released November 9, 1947

It's a little dark, no?

Barbara Shermund's signature

Verso
PR indicates Pictorial Review.
Release date November 9, 1947

My, my. This drawing has seen the auction block before.

Barbara Shermund
eBay listing ended July 1, 2024

https://www.ebay.com/itm/266886852787?_skw=Yorker+signed&itmmeta=01J8GYN4WRJA45XQ2V0HPPNTDG&hash=item3e23b230b3:g:IcYAAOSw6e1mCCbN&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKnJJj7Ls5uzbz9NWBywR8NdDRYDq7VwCuPwLZ8y0FdPRdzx1IzR9ujYFwzByWKc2RnF%2B3xs0vfiIH

qRjV5%2FlEcpgNHQVt2FQEMq6Fp1ZtkaV8S8x9LGwFT93DeNYXeH10ubPvfbV8CmphinSRe6m4XvQGAxEc0ShQM%2Bqjg4fJl6MBxw1PotY1SzOhTlGeuzdNtUqpiuUZXuDcR9QYXp5AGD9bzrvAPhWiQuC2jbxAUlPmfeXhpj4CiDeswi61ln%2FmY%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR77O1J7EZA

Barbara Shermund
eBay item description

This original was one of five Shermund items related to angling presented by the artist in August 1949 "To Al Mayer, the champ fisherman of Todd's jetty" in Seabright, New Jersey. They were sold together at Doyle in 2002. The present cartoon is here referred to only as The Prize. (The scarcely-readable caption is hidden behind the matte.) The drawing has since lost its frame.

Barbara Shermund
Doyle, European and American Paintings, December 10, 2002, lot 161

https://www.doyle.com/auction/lot/lot-161---barbara-shermund-1910-1978-i-fishermans/?lot=845676&so=4&st=Shermund&sto=0&au=&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=1&pp=96&pn=1&g=1

Within a few hours of my posting this cartoon, Jeff Nelson came through with an image of the Shermund's Sallies page. It's in black and white because it had been stored on library microfiche sans color and uploaded thus to the newspapers.com website. I have now corrected, slightly, the eagle-eyed eBay seller's caption.

"And there's one, my boy, that gave me quite a battle!"

* * *

"I just proposed to Henry, Father—has he your blessing?"

Barbara Shermund

Shermund's Sallies

Pictorial Review, November 11, 1947, Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph

Newspapers.com image provided by Jeff Nelson

Note:  I'd still love to see how this page appeared in color. Please get in touch if you have the corresponding November 9 (or later), 1947 issue of Pictorial Review in your archive. I'm fresh out.

It would be so great to get a better look at Barbara Shermund's sketchbook from the Doyle auction. Would the present owner please step forward?

For that matter, all sorts of original art by Shermund are of interest to the readers (and the writer) of this blog. I would be only too happy to post some more images here of Shermund creations. Please send along what you've got, my boy.

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