John Wesley: Geo. Wash. & 3 Indians #1

I know next to nothing of the work of John Wesley, but I am taken with his 1963 ink drawing Geo. Wash. & 3 Indians #1. It is a study for an art catalogue cover. The work was sold on May 31 in Glen Cove by Roland NY.

John Wesley
Roland NY listing accessed May 31, 2025 shortly before the sale

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/206690026_john-wesley-geo-washington-and-3-indians-ink-on-paper/?from=alert&utm_source=LA_SavedAlert&utm_campaign=SearchAlert_20230912_A&utm_medium=email&utm_content=item

Sold!

Note:  The finished work may be seen here.

04958

Rea Irvin: George Washington's Birthday—and a Peter Arno Cover Rough

George Washington's birthday falls on February 22, a fact that was known to most Americans before the creation of Presidents' Day. An undated and unpublished New Yorker cover by Rea Irvin was intended, no doubt, to celebrate the great general on his day. That might just be Alexander Hamilton on the left side of the image handling his correspondence. The postage stamp, of course, is a deliberate anachronism—and the joke.

Irvin's proposed cover art is on view at L'Alliance New York, part of the show called "Covering The New Yorker" curated by the current art editor Françoise Mouly. It is one of only two original works of art representing the magazine's first seventy years, neither of which was a published cover.

The other work is a preliminary drawing for what was to became the cover of December 20, 1958. The artist, Peter Arno, must have originally intended this to be a drawing inside the magazine. Reworking it into a cover necessitated some changes. He removed the awning and the background wash to accommodate the logo. He also eliminated the doorman, taking the driver out of the car and making him the central, taller figure. Placing the drawing on the cover also allowed Arno to add a striking splash of holiday color. 

04886

Drew Friedman: All the Presidents

A new volume of portraits by illustrator and caricaturist Drew Friedman has just been released. As the book cover indicates, All the Presidents contains thoughtful, telling portraits of each of America's forty-four presidents. (NB: There are forty-five presidencies because Grover Cleveland served as the 22nd and 24th president.)

Drew Friedman
All the Presidents (2019)

http://www.fantagraphics.com/all-the-presidents/

The book's publication is being celebrated tonight in Strand Bookstore's Rare Book Room.  (The entrance is on Broadway at 12th Street.) Mr. Friedman will be there in conversation with comedian Robert Klein. The ticket price includes a copy of the book, and there will be a signing immediately following the conversation.

The book goes by the numbers, beginning with George Washington. It's strange to see a president with no party affiliation. How long do you suppose that would last? The two-party system, remember, is not a part of our written Constitution.

Drew Friedman
1:  George Washington

http://www.fantagraphics.com/all-the-presidents/

It has been extraordinarily rewarding to watch Drew Friedman develop his technique and extend his expressive range in recent years. This new book contains some of his most perceptive character studies, certainly among the best he has ever done. They reveal new insights with repeated viewings.

Drew Friedman
26:  Theodore Roosevelt

http://www.fantagraphics.com/all-the-presidents/

Just to quibble, a word or two might be in order here regarding party designation. Republicans, of course, are members of the Republican Party—no confusion there. Democrats, on the other hand, are members of the Democratic Party, not the "Democrat Party." "Democrat Party," in fact, is meant as a slur and it has been spoken so frequently by Republicans in recent decades that we hardly notice it anymore. So, while Barack Obama is indeed a proud Democrat, his party's proper name is still the Democratic Party.

Drew Friedman
44:  Barack Obama

http://www.fantagraphics.com/all-the-presidents/

The following extraordinary presidential portraits are new to the internet. These higher-resolution images have been graciously provided to Attempted Bloggery by the artist:

Drew Friedman
6:  John Quincy Adams

Image courtesy of the artist

Drew Friedman
16:  Abraham Lincoln

Image courtesy of the artist

Drew Friedman
34:  Dwight Eisenhower

Image courtesy of the artist

Drew Friedman
44:  Barack Obama

Image courtesy of the artist

Drew Friedman's artistic process begins with a detailed preliminary pencil study:

Drew Friedman
Preliminary art
45:  Donald Trump

Image courtesy of the artist

After this he develops the finished portrait: 

Drew Friedman
45:  Donald Trump

Image courtesy of the artist

While Drew Friedman's New Yorker cover makes no secret of his interest in presidential portraiture, it uses a more fanciful approach than we see in the contents of this book.

Drew Friedman
The New Yorker, January 26, 2009

But wait, there's more! All the original artwork from All the Presidents will be exhibited at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at OSU along with over one-hundred of the artist's various presidential images from over the years, including the original Barack Obama inauguration New Yorker cover, above, and presidential ephemera from the artist's personal collection. The show opens on November 2 and will run through February 9, 2020. The official opening reception will be on Saturday the 16th of November when the artist will be giving a talk moderated by caricaturist and illustrator C. F. Payne.

Note:  The October 3rd event at Strand is preserved on YouTube here:

Video added October 18, 2019

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Drew Friedman

Presidents

Kurt Andersen

Attempted Bloggery's Unimpeachable Index

03047

Hank Ketcham: Lincoln's Birthday

How does one honor Abraham Lincoln on his birthday? In 1946, five years before he began the comic strip "Dennis the Menace," Hank Ketcham published a cartoon in Collier's that offers at least a suggestion of how one should celebrate. The gag is cute in its way, but the caption just doesn't deliver the Gettysburg address.

"This is nothing. You should see the fuss he makes over Washington's Birthday[.]"
Hank Ketcham
Collier's, February 12, 1946, page 35

Scan by Dick Buchanan

Note:  My thanks go once again to Dick Buchanan for contributing the scan of Honest Abe for today's post. This is his forty-second contribution to the blog, but who's counting? Dick maintains the renowned Dick Buchanan Cartoon Clip Files from which he also contributes regularly to Mike Lynch Cartoons, most recently a post entitled "From the Dick Buchanan Files: More Vintage Gag Cartoons 1947 - 1962." Go take a look. Trust me.

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Dick Buchanan

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Collier's

Presidents' Day

Attempted Bloggery's Log Cabin Index

02833

Leo Cullum: The Father of the Bride of Frankenstein

I am by no means a fan of the practice of slabbing original autographs and even cartoons. I am certainly okay with using protective slabs to preserve coins, for example, and some collectible paper such as currency, stamps, and even comic books (although it's a shame not to be able to read them). So what then do I recommend when a cartoonist such as Leo Cullum embellishes and autographs a one dollar bill? Well, the cartoon should takes precedence over the paper it's drawn on, of course, so therefore I do not favor slabbing; indeed I prefer framing. Paper money collectors enthralled by the uniqueness of the item are free to disagree with me.

Leo Cullum, The Father of the Bride of Frankenstein

Now you know why they're called greenbacks.

Leo Cullum
EBay Listing Ended June 27, 2015

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEO-CULLUM-CARTOONIST-SIGNED-DOLLAR-CERTIFIED-PAPER-MONEY-GUARANTY-/141697333629

Leo Cullum
EBay Item Description

Leo Cullum
EBay Bid History
A seven-day auction is decided in the final two seconds

Note:  Your friendly blogger seeks scans and photographs of all manner of original art by Leo Cullum in all media. Check your wallet.


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Leo Cullum

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Attempted Bloggery's Nondenominational Index

02339

Barney Tobey: George Washington Stopped Here

An old cliche is that every place George Washington ever stayed or ate or slept had a sign commemorating that momentous event. Cartoonist Barney Tobey takes a look at whether such historical markers have much practical significance to the ordinary visitor. His cartoon was published in Collier's circa July 1940 according to a notation on the art and was anthologized the following year in Collier's Collects Its Wits. It was listed at eBay for $129 but it has some obvious condition issues. A potential buyer offered $40 and the seller countered with $49, the sale price. Tobey's handwritten caption appears on the original under the mat along with production markings.

Enjoy Presidents' Day weekend!

"I don't care if Washington did stop here—this steak is tough."
Barney Tobey, original art, Collier's, c. July 1940
Collier's Collects Its Wits, 1941

"I don't care if Washington did stop here—this steak is tough."
Barney Tobey, framed original art, Collier's, c. July 1940
Collier's Collects Its Wits, 1941

Barney Tobey's signature

Detail

Detail

Barney Tobey
eBay Listing Ended February 4, 2017

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BARNEY-TOBEY-ANTIQUE-AMERICAN-CARTOONIST-ORIGINAL-ILLUSTRATION-ART-DRAWING-/172427536433?hash=item28257b6831%3Ag%3AWKIAAOSwo4pYNlIi&nma=true&si=YQGb25QThn5Fxe78BW8tTy6VzZY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

eBay Item Description

"I don't care if Washington did stop here—this steak is tough."
Barney Tobey, original art, Collier's, c. July 1940
Collier's Collects Its Wits, 1941

January 19, 2021 Update:  The current owner of this piece has shown it in a recent wall rearrangement here.

Note:  New Yorker cartoonist James Stevenson (1929-2017) has passed away. Old Attempted Bloggery posts that mention him may be seen here.


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Barney Tobey
George Washington
Original Collier's Cartoon Art

Presidents' Day

James Stevenson (1929-2017)

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