Charles Addams Moth and Flame

An original illustration by Charles Addams used as a 1973 magazine cover for The New Yorker was sold on Saturday in New York by Heritage. It's a very atmospheric watercolor and a fine example of Addams's work. It sold well for $15,000.

Charles Addams, Original cover art for The New Yorker, June 23, 1973

Charles Addams, Framed original cover artwork for The New Yorker, June 23, 1973

Charles Addams's signature

http://fineart.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=5111&lotNo=78002

Charles Addams, Original cover artwork for The New Yorker, June 23, 1973

Charles Addams, The New Yorker, June 23, 1973

For comparison, here's an earlier New Yorker cover by Addams which also featured a lighthouse setting. Yes, you may remember that I already used this image on Valentine's Day.

Charles Addams, The New Yorker, February 10, 1951

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Valentines from Charles Addams

I have remarked here before that Halloween seemed to be the perfect holiday for Charles Addams to show off his macabre flair, but then he did a pretty good job with Valentine's Day as well. I suppose he wasn't as unrelentingly ghoulish as he would have had us believe. There is definitely a romantic side to the creator of The Addams Family.

Charles Addams, The New Yorker, February 10, 1951

Charles Addams, The New Yorker, February 11, 1961

http://www.historyofinformation.com/index.php?era=1945

Charles Addams, The New Yorker,  February 16, 1981

Addams used the same illustration as the cover to his collection Creature Comforts (1981)

Note:  My previous Charles Addams post can be found here.

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