Thomas Nast: The Great Refracting Telescope at Washington, D.C.

In May of 1881, Thomas Nast took on the Star Route scandal in Harper's Weekly. Postmaster-General James is shown using the 26-inch aperture "Great Equatorial" telescope to investigate "The Star Route Ring." Nast urges him to find "the whole truth, even if the heavens fall." The cartoonist offers up an elaborate zodiac where Gemini is represented by the twins "Tweed Ring" and "Star Ring." Nast's readers, of course, would be familiar with his frequent criticism of Tammany Hall's "Boss" Tweed, so here he gets to equate the two scandals.

Thomas Nast
The Great Refracting Telescope at Washington, D.C.
Postmaster-General James, let us have the whole truth, even if the political heavens fall.
Harper's Weekly, May 28, 1881, p. 352

The page is offered for sale by the Argosy Book Store in New York:

Thomas Nast
Argosy Book Store listing accessed June 21, 2025

https://www.argosybooks.com/pages/books/321557/thomas-nast-harpers-weekly/the-great-refracting-telescope-at-washington-d-c

Note:  For more information, follow the aqua link to Wikipedia's page on the Star Route scandal. There's also more to be learned about the 26-inch "Great Equatorial" telescope that was once located in Washington, D.C.

04978

Federico and Sara's Copy of Maus by Art Spiegelman

In 2009, Art Spiegelman used a red marker to personalize a copy of the Italian edition of Maus belonging to fans Federico and Sara. 

The drawing is of Artie, Spiegelman's alter ego in the book. You can recognize him by the vest. Say, are those platform shoes?

In April, the bidding for this book on eBay started at $250. Bidders should always check the shipping costs, which can be significant.

Art Spiegelman
eBay listing ended April 22, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/277037163534?hash=item4080b3a40e%3Ag%3ALx4AAOSwcYhn%7ElyD&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338181027&customid=&toolid=10049

Art Spiegelman
eBay item specifics

Art Spiegelman
eBay Bid History
Three bidders. This time the item doesn't go to the last bidder, but to the most frequent bidder.

04977

Jack Ziegler: In Praise of Mom

Tuesday's Illustration Art auction at Swann Galleries in New York had a generous selection of New Yorker art, including a few pieces by Jack Ziegler. His original cartoon from 1993 is as zany a tribute to motherhood as one could imagine.

"Yessirree, kids, your mother is one heck of a gal!"
Jack Ziegler
Original art
The New Yorker, March 8, 1993, p. 85

The drawing, of course, is exaggerated, the caption somehow understated—a potent combination.

Jack Ziegler
Swann Galleries Illustration Art sale of June 17, 2025

https://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/Lots/auction-lot/(NEW-YORKER)-JACK-ZIEGLER-(1942---2017)-Yessirree-kids-your-?saleno=2709&lotNo=173&refNo=830507

Here we see it in the pages of The New Yorker:

"Yessirree, kids, your mother is one heck of a gal!"
Jack Ziegler
The New Yorker, March 8, 1993, p. 85

"Yessirree, kids, your mother is one heck of a gal!"
Jack Ziegler
Original art
The New Yorker, March 8, 1993, p. 85

With cartoons by Dana Fradon and Jack Ziegler

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1993-03-08/flipbook/084/

* * *

Dana Fradon's cartoon uses heavier shading and rougher lines than Ziegler's. I'm convinced that the magazine in those days was very deliberately laid out so that the cartoons on facing pages weren't too similar graphically.

"Good news! We've been selected as a potential
burial site for nuclear waste."
Dana Fradon
The New Yorker, March 8, 1993, p. 84

Note:  Readers are welcome to share images of original Jack Ziegler art on this blog. Yessirree!

04976

A Pietra Dura Table Top

Today we turn briefly to furniture seen in a Chicago auction. A fine pietra dura table top, probably of Italian origin, is paired with an ornate, claw-footed, tripod base. 

Here's looking at you, kid:

The presale estimate of $5,000-$10,000 seems high. True, it does include the base, but that can't be to everyone's taste. See, for example, the last photo.

Pietra Dura Table
Chicago Estate Advisors listing accessed eleven hours prior to the sale

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/203705534_pietra-dura-stone-inlaid-table

Pietra Dura Table
Chicago Estate Advisors item details

No sale!

04975

Last Night's Swann Salon

Last night I ventured downtown to attend a Swann Salon at the auction house of that name.

There was a short preview of the forthcoming "Women Laughing" film documentary which happily exceeded my expectations. In addition, the gallery was set up for today's sale of Illustration Art: Featuring the Collection of Lee Lorenz. I thought I'd share photographs of a small selection of the art before its dispersal:

04974