Yours for a Grand: Michael Witte's Eustace Tilley in The Nutcracker

Since its premiere in 1954, George Balanchine's production of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" has been a holiday institution in New York. Spoiler alert: The ballet ends with Marie and the Prince carried off in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer.

Photo: © Paul Kolnik / The New York City Ballet / The George Balanchine Trust

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-nutcracker-set-design-secrets

In 1989, illustrator Michael Witte revisited this moment, adding The New Yorker's mascot Eustace Tilley as a third passenger in the sleigh, an excellent vantage point from which to observe through his monocle a butterfly perched on a reindeer antler. The drawing was used as a seasonal spot illustration in the Goings On About Town section of The New Yorker, one of a long series by Witte featuring Eustace Tilley in various situations and settings.

Michael Witte
Original art
The New Yorker, December 11, 1989, p. 8

The original art, unsigned, is available from Sotheby's, who identifies it only as "a Christmas scene," for a fixed price. It is also available from James Cummins, bookseller, no doubt the consignor, also for $1,000.

Michael Witte
Sotheby's listing accessed November 28, 2022

https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/_michael-witte-new-yorker-original-ink-drawing-14e6

James Cummins, bookseller, reveals that the drawing belonged to James H. Heineman. He dates the drawing to circa 1995 and identifies it only as a "Christmas subject."

Michael Witte
James Cummins, bookseller, listing accessed November 28, 2022

https://www.jamescumminsbookseller.com/pages/books/24027/new-yorker-magazine-art-michael-witte/new-yorker-drawing-original-ink-drawing-of-christmas-subject

In the magazine, the 13" x 16" original is reduced to a one-and-a-quarter column width.

Michael Witte
Original art
The New Yorker, December 11, 1989, p. 8

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1989-12-11/flipbook/008/

Note:  Michael Witte pronounces his name Witty while cartoonist Phil Witte, no relation, pronounces his name Wit. (Thanks to Phil Witte for that.)

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Garrett Price: Broken Bow and Arrows

It is now time to return those gifts that didn't quite work out. Bookseller James Cummins has a four-panel cartoon by Garrett Price that sums it all up pretty well. The listing states that this cartoon was "probably done for The New Yorker." Surely we can do better than that.

Garrett Price, original art
The New Yorker, October 2, 1954, pages 38-39

Garrett Price
James Cummins, Bookseller Listing Copied July 7, 2016

http://www.jamescumminsbookseller.com/pages/books/24033/new-yorker-magazine-art-garrett-price/cartoon-probably-done-for-the-new-yorker-set-of-four-sequential-ink-drawings-last-signed-garrett

Garrett Price, The New Yorker, October 2, 1954, pages 38-39

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1954-10-02#folio=038

Note: To be truthful, this is one of the few blogs on which Garrett Price merits much discussion. Don't blame me; blame all those other blogs with nothing to say. You know the drill: Attempted Bloggery seeks high-quality scans or photographs of original cartoon art by Garrett Price, including rejected cover proposals and whatever else might happen to come your way. Please also send me examples of extremely scarce or uncollected published work.


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Fun with James Stevenson

A cartoon for the New Yorker's January 5, 1987 issue exemplifies the best qualities that the late James Stevenson (1929-2017) brought to the art form. Here there are exquisite subtleties in tone and substance conveyed through solid draughtsmanship and caption-writing. Somehow his quick, sketchy ink-and-wash rendering conveys the architectural grandeur of the throne room, the formal intimacy of the royal couple, and the self-absorption of the king. The caption, neatly divided into two parts, goes suddenly from the formal to the informal, from the serious to the frivolous. The two halves are separated by an ellipsis in the original art and by an em dash in the published version. The overall effect appears effortless.

The original art was in the collection of publisher James H. Heineman (1917-1994) who evidently kept collecting into his seventies. In 2010 it was offered for sale at $1300 by James Cummins Bookseller. The artwork measures 13 1/2 x 15 1/2 inches. According to Mr. Heineman's notations on the verso, the original was exhibited at the Art Institute in Houston in 1990, at  the International Cartoon Festival in Knokke-Heist, Belgium from June 6 to September 27, 1991; and finally at the American Cultural Center in Brussels from November to December 1991. The cartoon dates from the Reagan years and the mention of greed may have had ongoing resonance as the S&L crisis unfolded.

"Pomp, greed, conquest, intrigue ... it's been a fun year, hasn't it?"
James Stevenson, original art
The New Yorker, January 5, 1987, page 23

Detail of the queen and king

Detail of background

The caption

James Stevenson's signature

"Pomp, greed, conquest, intrigue—it's been a fun year, hasn't it?"
James Stevenson, The New Yorker, January 5, 1987, page 23

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1987-01-05#folio=022

Thirty years after this drawing's publication, I am still not prepared to accept the word fun as an adjective in my own writing. Still, it's hard to fault Mr. Stevenson or the New Yorker's editors for publishing a caption that reflects the way people actually talk. Ultimately fun will succeed as an adjective if it hasn't already because it meets an expressive need and there isn't an easy substitute. I resolve to continue to tilt at grammatical windmills because that's what curmudgeons do.

Note:  Thanks to David from Manhattan for providing these photos of the original Stevenson artwork as well as the information about it. Other readers are invited to contribute scans or photos of original artwork by James Stevenson,


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