Saturday, July 18, 2026

Blog Post No. 5300: James Thurber's "The Masculine Approach" Scarf for Richard A. Farrar

"The Masculine Approach" is a scarf designed around a series of drawings by The New Yorker's James Thurber. It is currently listed on eBay.

"The Masculine Approach"
By
James Thurber


"The Masculine Approach"
By
James Thurber

The humorous drawings purport to inform us of various schemes and techniques men use for getting their way with women.
The Harpo Marx Attack

The Indifference Attitude
Does the indifference apply to spelling as well?

The Continental-Manners Technique

The Just-a-Little-Boy System

The Sudden Onslaught

The Let-'em-Wait-and-Wonder Plan

The Pawing System

The Sweep-'em-Off-Their-Feet Method

The Heroic, or Dangers I Have Known, Method



James Thurber
eBay listing accessed July 8, 2026

James Thurber
eBay item description



This tie on eBay may or may not have a label, but a similar tie in the same green and black color scheme currently listed on Etsy clearly bears the name Richard A. Farrar.




The Just-a-Little-Boy System


Thurber's series "The Masculine Approach" got its start in The New Yorker.
"The Masculine Approach"
The Sudden Onslaught
The Continental-Manners Technique
The I'm-Not-Good-Enough-for-You Announcement
James Thurber 
The New Yorker, February 12, 1938, p. 19

With cartoons by Helen E. Hokinson and James Thurber



The entire series may be found in Men, Women & Dogs (1943) beginning on page 187. Alternatively, if you don't like reading the pages sideways, it's available online in portrait PDF format here. Or you can just read the scarf.

* * *


Helen E. Hokinson's wonderful dog show drawing, on the page opposite the three Thurbers, balances out the magazine spread with darker tones and shading.
"I'm the one that should be lying down somewhere."
Helen E. Hokinson
The New Yorker, February 12, 1938, p. 18



Note:  I can't thank enough the multitalented Joel Jacobus for alerting me to this eBay listing. For our purposes, Joel is a specialist in Charles Addams collectibles but he still manages to get sidetracked at times, thank goodness.


Richard A. Farrar's tie designs by or based on the works of New Yorker artists—Charles Addams, Sam Cobean, Anatol Kovarsky, Mischa Richter, Otto Soglow, William Steig, and, of course, James Thurber—were often manufactured in a variety of colors. I would love to see examples of any other varieties that are out there. Below, for example, is an old New Yorker advertisement that provides evidence of one Thurber scarf manufactured in five colors and two sizes. It has yet to be located in any variation, but I am patient . . . 

Richard A. Farrar advertisement
The New Yorker, October 31, 1953, p. 72


The blog archives are now home to a number of scarves by Richard A. Farrar representing the work of a variety of New Yorker cartoon luminaries in various color schemes. All of these posts may be read, studied, pondered, and reread here. I am always at the ready to add new designs and color schemes. Joel reports there is a scarf out there by Helen E. Hokinson, whose cartoon is on the page opposite "The Masculine Approach" in The New Yorker, which has yet to be imaged. Who wants to be the first to send it to me?


I like to think that every hundred posts are extra special. Let me know if you agree:


The Attempted Bloggery Centennial Posts 💯
Blog Post No. 100
Blog Post No. 200:  A Shaggy Dog Story





05300

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