Barbara Shermund: A Shermund's Sallies Flong

In relief printing, a flong is a temporary negative mould made of a forme of set type, in order to cast a metal stereotype (or "stereo") which can be used in a rotary press, or in letterpress printing after the type has been broken down for re-use. The process is called stereotyping.

—Wikipedia

I couldn't have said it better. All of which begs the question, why would anyone wish to keep a flong after it had served its original purpose? There are one hundred ninety flong listings on eBay right now but the one of interest to us is from Pictorial Review in 1946. A flong of two facing pages from October 6 correspond to the cartoon feature Shermund's Sallies by Barbara Shermund and to the Hollywood column by Louella Parsons. It seems plain that one of these two features is the reason for the flong being retained by somebody all these years. So what was it, gags or gossip?

"Thanks—I'll wear it."
* * *
"That's the fourth proposal she's received this week!"
Barbara Shermund
Shermund's Sallies
Flong from Pictorial Review, October 6, 1946

"Thanks—I'll wear it."
* * *
"That's the fourth proposal she's received this week!"
Barbara Shermund
Shermund's Sallies
Flong for Pictorial Review, October 6, 1946

Barbara Shermund
eBay listing accessed March 23, 2022

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223648238152?hash=item3412794a48:g:FTYAAOSwHzNdbTn7

Barbara Shermund
eBay item description

Note:  We have seen the flong. Now we need to see the newsprint. Please check your old piles of newspaper for the October 6, 1946 issue of Pictorial Review, particularly the page with Shermund's Sallies by Barbara Shermund and the Hollywood column by Louella Parsons.

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Driven to Distraction

Some car owners just know how to have fun. You can count the pop culture references; they're mostly from the movies.

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Katharine Hepburn's George Price

One doesn't usually think of cartoonist George Price as someone with a gift for caricature, yet somehow he was able to imbue a horse with features reminiscent of the actress Katharine Hepburn. When Miss Hepburn saw this cartoon in the New Yorker, she decided to acquire the original and it remained in her possession when she passed away at the age of 96 in June of 2003. The following year it was sold by Sotheby's at her estate sale.

The market, as we have had occasion to observe, does not always place sufficient value on cartoon art, and even published examples of Mr. Price's artwork do not necessarily fetch a high price at auction, although they certainly can. What the market does appreciate is celebrity, and Katharine Hepburn was a movie star of the first order. When people go to the estate sale of a Hollywood star, they are not merely looking for fine collectibles; they are also seeking a memento representing the life and glamor of an admired personality. An original cartoon such as this one, making specific reference to the great actress and remaining among her possessions for almost seven decades has itself acquired some of her star quality. With a deliberately low estimate of $300 to $400, it sold for $7,500. Bravo! Or Brava!

George Price,  "Oh, she's been acting that way all day.
Someone told her she looked like Katharine Hepburn."
Original artwork for the New Yorker, February 3, 1934, page 18
Provenance:  Estate of Katharine Hepburn

Sotheby's New York, June 10, 2004

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/356753

George Price,  "Oh, she's been acting that way all day. Someone
told her she looked like Katharine Hepburn."
The New Yorker, February 3, 1934, page 18

George Price,  "Oh, she's been acting that way all day. Someone
told her she looked like Katharine Hepburn."
The New Yorker, February 3, 1934, page 18

Sotheby's Preview: Katharine Hepburn, Part 1

Note:  George Price's artwork doesn't always sell for stratospheric amounts, but it's always worth a second look. See more examples of his art here.

In a similar vein, J. C. Duffy's New Yorker cartoon about cabaret singer Bobby Short was acquired by Mr. Short himself, and he didn't even appear in it. Read all about it here.

Feeling romantic? Why not show your Valentine a few posts from the archives here?

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