W. B. Park's cartoon No-Frills Foreign Policy was published in The New Yorker of June 14, 1984 toward the latter part of Ronald Reagan's first term as president.
Today, we're more likely to talk about the nuclear codes than about the so-called "button." Nevertheless, the cartoon has not lost as much of its relevance as we might like.
W. B. Park'sNew Yorker cartoon from the December 12, 1994 issue serves to remind us of how we used to update our relationship statuses prior to the days of social media. The original art was sold on eBay in October.
"Did we ever go through with that divorce we were talking about?" W. B. Park Original art The New Yorker, December 12, 1994, p. 101
It took some eight years for W. B. Park's drawing, purchased by The New Yorker in 1987, to be published in the magazine. The setting is a doctor's office where a patient is experiencing a conversation one doesn't ever want to have.
"Mr. Wilkins, I believe that your condition is going to get us both into the 'Journal of the American Medical Association.'" W. B. Park Original art The New Yorker, December 4, 1995, p. 52
"Mr. Wilkins, I believe that your condition is going to get us both into the 'Journal of the American Medical Association.'" W. B. Park The New Yorker, December 4, 1995, p. 52
"Mr. Wilkins, I believe that your condition is going to get us both into the 'Journal of the American Medical Association.'" W. B. Park Original art The New Yorker, December 4, 1995, p. 52
With a cartoon by W. B. Park and an advertisement for Starbucks
Incidentally, Park's Wikipedia page offers us an intriguing explanation of why his work stopped appearing in The New Yorker in 2000 although the statement has been tagged as citation needed. Are any citations for this likely to be forthcoming?
W. B. Park's Wikipedia page accessed December 22, 2024
In 1981, The New Yorker could still expect a majority of its readers to spot a reference to a 1928 operetta in one of its cartoons. Don't look for any similar cultural nods in today's magazine. This drawing was W. B. Park's first New Yorker sale. The original art was sold on eBay late in September.
" . . . or, to put it another way: Give me some men who are stout[-]hearted men who will fight for the right they adore." W. B. Park Original art The New Yorker, July 13, 1981, p. 25
Detail, top, with W. B. Park's signature
Detail, bottom, with W. B. Park's signature
Handwritten caption
The brown wrapper has layout instructions for scaling Park's signature to a smaller size. The artist's notation indicates that this was his first sale to the magazine, occuring on July 13, 1981.
" . . . or, to put it another way: Give me some men who are stout-hearted men who will fight for the right they adore." W. B. Park The New Yorker, July 13, 1981, p. 25
" . . . or, to put it another way: Give me some men who are stout[-]hearted men who will fight for the right they adore." W. B. Park Original art The New Yorker, July 13, 1981, p. 25
For those who today may be unfamiliar with Sigmund Romberg's "The New Moon," here's the rousing anthem to which the Park cartoon refers:
"Stout-Hearted Men"
Nelson Eddy
"The New Moon" (1928, 1940 film)
Sigmund Romberg, composer
Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist
Williams Steig's drawing on the left side of the page makes for quite a contrast with the Park cartoon. There is no caption, just a title, and no joke. The spread of the open magazine was balanced both graphically and in the tone of the drawings.
Tiger Hunt by Moonlight William Steig The New Yorker, July 13, 1981, p. 24
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