 |
| "Smile, dammit." |
March 8, 2025 Update: The Finalists  |
"Covering The New Yorker," the exhibition now hanging at L'Alliance New York, spans some three decades of original New Yorker cover art. Edward Sorel and Bruce McCall are represented by two covers each. All works in the show are loaned by the artists or their estates unless other wise noted.
 |
| Crush Hour Edward Sorel The New Yorker, January 31, 1994 |
 |
I ♥ Babel Edward Sorel The New Yorker, October 2, 1995 |
 |
| The Cart Before the Horses Bruce McCall The New Yorker, April 28, 2014 |
 |
| Lost Times Square Bruce McCall The New Yorker, May 31, 1999 |
04876
The Owl and the Pussycat, beloved characters from Edward Lear's nonsense verse, make an appearance in Ronald Searle's New Yorker cover of July 27, 1992. In Lear's telling, they "went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat," but here they take that boat out onto Central Park Lake. Yesterday, the original Searle art was sold by Stephenson's Auctions of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
 |
| Ronald Searle Stephenson's Auction listing 13 hours before the sale |
04842
Three fine examples of New Yorker cover art by Charles E. Martin (C.E.M.) were shown at the Westport Historical Society on the evening of April 25, 2014. Two of them were published covers and one was a variant of a published cover. These were the only examples of cover art offered to the public in support of the museum.
A view of Central Park Lake at twilight shows rowboats stacked up for the night not far from the boathouse. Martin's cover art shows us a scene readily recognizable to New Yorkers but bathed in a certain light at day's end that we may not have noticed before. There is a serene air of tranquility; it feels as if we have this corner of the park to ourselves. It was published in the spring of 1977.
 |
| Charles E. Martin Original cover art The New Yorker, April 25, 1977 Westport Historical Society |
 | |
|
 |
| Charles E. Martin Original cover art The New Yorker, June 19, 1978 Westport Historical Society |
 |
| Charles E. Martin The New Yorker, June 19, 1978 |
 |
| Charles E. Martin Preliminary cover art The New Yorker, September 19, 1983 Westport Historical Society |
 |
| Charles E. Martin The New Yorker, September 19, 1983 |
Note: This third cover may be set in Park Row, but I'm not at all certain. That triple line of trees is rare indeed in Manhattan. If you recognize the area, please assist me in identifying it.
The variant of this artwork shown in Westport was indeed published, I recall, as the front cover of some book—but I can't recall the name or find an image of it. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone who can help jog my memory on this one.
04685
 |
| Edward Lear The Owl and the Pussy-Cat |
 |
| https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43188/the-owl-and-the-pussy-cat |
 |
| Arnie Levin The New Yorker, July 27, 1987 |
 |
| Ronald Searle The New Yorker, July 27, 1992 |
 |
| Ronald Searle The Owl and the Pussycat |
 |
| Ronald Searle Christie's South Kensington July 29, 2008 |
The cartoon is 13 W x 14 7/8, and mounted on board which is 15 3/16 W x 19. The reverse, as you can see from one shot, no longer has a New Yorker label (if indeed that's what was there), but there's a faint handstamp, "UNBLOCKED, LEAVE BEARERS ON" at lower left (not visible here), and a 2nd smaller handstamp and notes (see image). The condition is wonderfully fresh....
 |
Charles Addams
Original art
The New Yorker, November 5, 1964, page 66
|
 |
| Detail |
 |
| Detail |
 |
| Detail |
 |
| Reverse |
 |
Charles Addams
The New Yorker, November 5, 1964, page 66
|
 |
| Donald Higgins, The New Yorker, October 2, 1965 |
 |
| Donald Higgins, proposed New Yorker cover |
 |
| Ha! |
 |
| Donald Higgins's signature |
 |
| Detail |
 |
| Detail |
 |
| Detail |
 |
| Detail |
 |
| Detail |
 |
| Detail |
 |
| Donald Higgins eBay Listing Ended November 16, 2016 |
 |
| Donald Higgins eBay Item Description |
 |
| eBay Bid History Eight bids, five in the final hour of which three were in the final minute |
 |
| Donald Higgins, proposed New Yorker cover |
 |
| Donald Higgins, proposed New Yorker cover |
 |
| Donald Higgins's signature |
 |
| Verso |
 |
| Donald Higgins William Bunch Auctions & Appraisals, Chadds Ford, PA November 1, 2016 |
