Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Barbara Shermund: The Effortless Dinner Party

A black and white drawing by cartoonist Barbara Shermund gives us a glimpse at the sort of formal, intimate dinner party so few of us seem to get invited to. Amidst the stately opulence, there is the pretense of it all just having been thrown together at the last minute. But we know better, don't we?

Who can recall another gag cartoon where so many individuals stand with their eyes closed? The original artwork has that slapdash appearance that the artist must have spent long years mastering. There is the added bonus of a rough drawing on the verso which itself just hints at how hard Shermund must have worked at making this all look so easy. The art was sold on eBay in 2019 for an undisclosed best offer somewhere under the $275 asking price.

"I hope you didn't mind taking pot-luck."
Barbara Shermund
Original art

Detail of the women and their jewelry

Detail of the men in white tie and the servant in black tie

Barbara Shermund's signature

Detail of the column

Verso with rough drawing

Barbara Shermund
eBay listing ended September 22, 2019


Barbara Shermund
eBay item description





May 24, 2024 Update:  The new owner of this piece has gone public here.



Note:  I have no idea whether this drawing by Barbara Shermund was actually published, but I'm inclined to believe it was. I'd like to hear from anyone who may have seen it in print somewhere. I'd also like to know whether the rough on the verso resembles any of the artist's published gag cartoons. See, I don't ask for much, not even at dinner time.




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