A Night at the Opera: Peter Arno?

Quick, what's missing from this cartoon listed on eBay?

Well, first off, there's no signature. Who made the drawing? We really can't say.

And there's no caption. We can only guess what the wife is saying to her husband as he sleeps through the Wagner opera.

It appears, though, that we do have a documented date of publication: March 16, 1959. On the verso, that date is notated in European fashion, a possible hint as to where this drawing may have seen print:

The eBay seller proclaims this drawing as the work of Peter Arno. This attribution seems to hang on the evidence of his name being written in an anonymous hand on the back of the drawing. In all likelihood, Arno would have signed his work in the image with his distinctive signature.

On eBay, the item was first listed at $3,495. Now it is $2,795 or a best offer. 

Peter Arno
eBay listing accessed June 23, 2024

https://www.ebay.com/itm/296517175227?itmmeta=01J13YWB1KXTB8NJ4PSJC95D4X&hash=item4509cd07bb:g:SKIAAOSwEW1mdKdG&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4OgYqsUgn81qH7bANPnrclvb%2BaAPAkEPkjofF2UpyzAjomg7Dkw%2FLTNl9OjtzdzsP2pjP%2FYdzh0LWBvHj6nX0Qrd1O4CvYf

r1pCMsziDXzGISgIvlNoS8uoPvV7X8UmV3nCr6zc9GUlwghStQpwZ808B7XOf7yGuQWCfRRKqa9ZEfPszJsgy7F2F7JS7yyA0U1AEa26Dd8eMa874vbigcaKKWO4zk0kzR4IhPirGJAeMfi%2FpV5SC6sNO9cd1fZ%2Btg2Bp1Jugii44nqC8LiclhQbu63AR181sCYeKO2SuwErU%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_Kw8f6IZA

Peter Arno
eBay item description

Price as of June 24, 2024

Price as of June 23, 2024

A year into this listing, not too surprisingly, 

the seller is prepared to go lower:

Perhaps it would help to look at an actual Arno cartoon in a similar setting, a vocal recital. Here's a 1947 Arno drawing from The New Yorker:

"You have so got it turned off!"
Peter Arno
The New Yorker, November 29, 1947, p 44

https://www.ebay.com/itm/166975516861?mkpid=0&emsid=e11021.m164382.l178272&ch=osgood&euid=33552726372c4ad3a89157a7fc53cc

cb&bu=43186000575&ut=RU&osub=-1%7E1&crd=20241004013619&segname=11021&recoId=166975516861&recoPos=1

To emphasize character, Arno draws his figures more or less facing us—not seen from behind. The balcony, the dress, and the curtains are rich in a variety of textures, something we do not see in corresponding areas of the eBay drawing.

With a cartoon by Peter Arno and a spot drawing of Al Capp

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1947-11-29/flipbook/044/

Note:  First off, I can use some help identifying the New Yorker spot artist (WAL?) who rendered Al Capp. I feel I should know this. 

Al Capp
Artist Unidentified [WAL?]
The New Yorker, November 29, 1947, p 45

There's also a lot to be learned about the eBay cartoon. Who drew it? What is the caption? Where was it published? Opinions welcome, although facts would be even better. 

04999