Anatol Kovarsky: Fourth of July Fireworks at Coney Island

Anatol Kovarsky's New Yorker cover for the issue of July 6, 1963, shows a lone fireworks barge off Coney Island illuminating the night sky on the Fourth of July. The original art was sold by the CartoonBank on November 14, 2006 with a letter attesting that its value at the time was $9,000, presumably the selling price. This spring it came to eBay professionally framed alongside the printed magazine cover.

The colors in the waves off Coney Island may have faded over time. It is also possible that the colors were enhanced in The New Yorker's printing process.

The seller's asking price on April 1 was $12,000 or Best Offer. 

Anatol Kovarsky
eBay listing accessed April 1, 2026

https://www.ebay.com/itm/306850543292?

Anatol Kovarsky
eBay item description

The seller was apparently new to the auction site. Within a day, the price was cut in half.

April 2

By April 7, the price was reduced another $200.

April 7

Next came $5,200:

April 9?

The seller next raised the price to $5,500, in order to make a seller offer of $500 off. Thus it sold on April 19 for the seller offer of $5,000.

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Fireworks on Home Video: Lee Lorenz Preliminary New Yorker Cover Art

Two weeks ago, Swann Auction Galleries sold some artistic gems from the estate of Lee Lorenz, the accomplished cartoonist who served as art editor of The New Yorker from 1973 to 1993, and then as cartoon editor from 1993-1997. Preliminary art for his 1989 Independence Day cover sold for a hammer price of $600 or $750 with the buyer's premium. Given the $1,000 to $1,500 presale estimate, that's not a bad deal. Lorenz shows us an enthusiastic Uncle Sam lighting the fireworks while Lady Liberty captures the moment on video.

Lee Lorenz
Preliminary art
The New Yorker, July 3, 1989

Lee Lorenz
Swann Auction Galleries listing of June 17, 2025

https://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/Lots/auction-lot/(NEW-YORKER)-LEE-LORENZ-(1932---2022)-Cover-study-Independen?saleno=2709&lotNo=139&refNo=829875

Lee Lorenz
The New Yorker, July 3, 1989

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1989-07-03/flipbook/CV1/

Lee Lorenz
Preliminary art
The New Yorker, July 3, 1989

Note:  For future posts, this blog seeks original art by Lee Lorenz, original New Yorker Fourth of July art, and original cover studies. I hit the trifecta today.

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Macy's 4th of July Fireworks 2015

It was great to attend the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks this year, now back on the East River. These photographs and videos were taken at Waterside Plaza in Manhattan. The party music which can be heard playing is not the official soundtrack to which the fireworks were synchronized.

Residents attend a party on the plaza. One of the Macy's fireworks barges is nearby on the East River.

One of the Macy's fireworks barges and a U. S. Coast Guard vessel

Photo by Marc Hoffman

A fireboat passes by

The Empire State Building at dusk

Photo by Marc Hoffman

The Empire State Building shows its colors

Video by Marc Hoffman

Later, the Empire State Building shows some more of its colors

People seek out prime viewing spaces as the 4th of July fireworks are about to start.

The fireworks

Photo by Marc Hoffman

Reflected fireworks

Photo by Marc Hoffman

The fireworks

Photo by Marc Hoffman

The fireworks

The fireworks

Vudeo by Marc Hoffman

The fireworks

The fireworks

Video by Marc Hoffman

The fireworks 

Note:  Thanks to Marc Hoffman for providing about half the material here. Clearly his is the better half.

Today the blog has reached 600,000 page views. My goal is still to reach a million page views by Bloomsday 2016. Would you like to know what's on the old blog? It's all nicely indexed for you.

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