In The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #998 from the issue of July 20, 2026, a woman and a cat are out kayaking. The woman speaks. My submission is shown below. The drawing is by Liza Donnelly.
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| "There must be a closer litter box." |
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Showing posts with label Liza Donnelly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Liza Donnelly. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2026
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Sight Unseen: Four Books by Liza Donnelly
Back on March 20, Wonder Book of Frederick, Maryland, listed two children's books by the New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly. They were signed and reasonably priced with zero shipping charges. Then, on October 18, two additional books of hers were listed, also signed, similarly priced, and this time for grown ups. It was then that I noticed the two earlier books. Each listing was illustrated only with a stock image. It is the author's frequent practice to include sketches in her signed books, but there was no indication whether any of these books had them. Still, with the books priced between $5.99 and $7.99, there didn't seem to be much of a downside risk. I boldly made my move.
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| Stock Image |
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| Liza Donnelly AbeBooks listing accessed October 18, 2025 |
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| Liza Donnelly AbeBooks item description |
Now that they have arrived, I can show you the books. A Hippo in Our Yard is the only book of the four with an Autographed Copy sticker.
Previously on the blog, we've seen copies of Cartoon Marriage signed by both authors, Donnelly and her New Yorker cartoonist husband Michael Maslin. Both cartoonists added drawings, together generally in some variation of a couple toasting each other. But this copy, we already know, is signed only by Donnelly.
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| Stock image |
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| Liza Donnelly AbeBooks listing accessed October 18, 2025 |
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| Liza Donnelly AbeBooks item description |
Dedicated to Cathy and Spence, this book has a drawing by Donnelly of a woman raising a glass—solo.
The End of the Rainbow is another children's title.
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| Stock image |
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| Liza Donnelly AbeBooks listing accessed October 18, 2025 |
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| Liza Donnelly AbeBooks item description |
The book is signed with a drawing of a cat.
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| Stock image |
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| Liza Donnelly AbeBooks listing accessed October 18, 2025 |
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| Liza Donnelly AbeBooks item description |
The drawing is, once again, a woman making a toast:
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Friday, October 10, 2025
My "Women Laughing" Postproduction Kickstarter Reward
On June 16, I was truly enthralled by a short preview of the documentary film "Women Laughing." This was shown at a Swann Salon, an event the night before the most recent Illustration Art auction at Swann Galleries. The film's subjects are the women cartoonists of The New Yorker. The short film was then a work in progress by a talented team led by cartoonist and author Liza Donnelly.
The following month I made a pledge of $200 towards the film's postproduction Kickstarter campaign (plus $5 to ship the reward I readily accepted in exchange). My feelings toward crowdfunding have softened over the years. It has now become clear to me that many worthy projects could never see the light of day without it.
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| "Women Laughing" Postproduction Kickstarter Campaign accessed July 19, 2025 |
Now the film has been completed. And here is my beautiful, new copy, decorated on the half-title with a drawing from each signer. They are (clockwise from the center) Liza Donnelly, Liana Finck, Roz Chast, Amy Hwang, Emily Flake, and The New Yorker's cartoon editor Emma Allen.
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Thursday, May 1, 2025
A Collaboration at "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration"
One unusual piece on view at the Society of Illustrators on the East Side is a sequential drawing with contributions by four New Yorker artists: Mick Stevens, Roz Chast, Liza Donnelly, and Jack Ziegler—in that order. It was drawn over a lunch in the 1980s after the cartoonists dropped off their work with the cartoon editor and, of course, it did not appear in the magazine. The collaboration is in the form of a comic strip and is included in the show "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration," on view at the Society only through Saturday.
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Monday, March 31, 2025
My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #938
The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #938 appeared in the issue of March 31, 2025. A woman in business attire enters a boardroom full of dogs. The woman speaks. My entry appears below. The drawing is by Liza Donnelly.
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| "Who told you all to sit?" |
These just wouldn't obey:
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| "Let's adjourn to the park." "I need a volunteer to fetch the bylaws." |
April 13, 2025 Update: The Finalists
April 18, 2025 Update: I voted for the caption from Mount Horeb.
April 26, 2025 Update: The Winner
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Tuesday, March 25, 2025
My Copy of Mixed Feelings by Liana Finck
I obtained my copy of Liana Finck's children's book Mixed Feelings (2025) at the Society of Illustrators on February 6. The event, also featuring New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly, was jointly sponsored by the Society and the American Academy in Berlin. The discussion and slideshow was followed by a book signing.
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| Liana Finck and Liza Donnelly |
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Sunday, March 9, 2025
I. Klein at "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration"
I. Klein's art was about contrast: black against white, curves against angularity. His sense of humor was rather striking as well.
Yes, the I. was for Isidore. This original art is currently hanging at the Society of Illustrators, part of "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration" curated by Liza Donnelly—but the room with the Klein cartoon will be a part of the show for just a few more days.
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"Beautiful lavallière you are wearing, my dear. Those landscape tints do become you so." "Oh, yes. I prefer marines at times, but they are so large, and I detest heavy ornamentation." I. KleinOriginal art The New Yorker, June 19, 1926, p. 18 |
Yes, the I. was for Isidore. This original art is currently hanging at the Society of Illustrators, part of "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration" curated by Liza Donnelly—but the room with the Klein cartoon will be a part of the show for just a few more days.
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"Beautiful lavallière you are wearing, my dear. Those landscape tints do become you so." "Oh, yes. I prefer marines at times, but they are so large, and I detest heavy ornamentation." I. KleinThe New Yorker, June 19, 1926, p. 18 |
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| With a header by Rea Irvin, a drawing by I. Klein, and a Profiles portrait by an as yet unidentified illustrator |
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| Smoking header Rea Irvin |
I've had occasion once before in 2020 to visit this page of The New Yorker and enquire about the unidentified illustrator of Hendrik Willem van Loon's portrait. It was only ninety-nine years ago; someone should be able to recognize the artist's work.
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| Hendrik Willem van Loon Artist Unidentified |
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Friday, March 7, 2025
Mary Petty at "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration"
Artists and their models were a frequent subject of New Yorker cartoons in years past, but not so much these days. Mary Petty's 1937 cartoon is a fine example of the genre.
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| "Dear no, Miss Mayberry—just the head." Mary Petty The New Yorker, December 4, 1937, p. 28 |
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| "Dear no, Miss Mayberry—just the head." Mary Petty The New Yorker, December 4, 1937, p. 28 |
The print of a classic Petty cartoon is on view in the exhibition "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration." The show is curated by Liza Donnelly and hangs at the Society of Illustrators in New York.
The real find there by Petty is her original cover art from the issue of July 18, 1942. The museum card reads, "Mary Petty drew this maid character, which she named 'Fay,' in many of her cartoons and covers. Fay became beloved by readers, and her voluminous bows[,] often seen on children in that time, were known as 'Petty bows.'"
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| Mary Petty Original art The New Yorker, July 18, 1942 |
What's ingenious about this wartime cover is Fay's visual transformation, through her gas mask, into a giant winged insect. The mirror that allows her to observe her own appearance enables us to see her from both front and back.
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| Mary Petty The New Yorker, July 18, 1942 |
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| With a cartoon by Mary Petty and a spot drawing |
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Note: The 1937 spot on the page opposite the Petty drawing shows a horse and carriage from above paused in the light of a Bishop's Crook street lamp. Alas, it is unsigned and the artist is, for the present, unidentified unless some sharp-eyed reader can determine otherwise.
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| Spot drawing Artist Unidentified The New Yorker, December 4, 1937, p. 29 |
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Thursday, March 6, 2025
Charles Saxon at "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration"
As the commercial airline industry boomed in the postwar period, affluent Americans did more traveling abroad, particularly in Europe. The New Yorker went with them. Charles Saxon's 1966 magazine cover depicts two older couples taking a gondola ride in Venice, a gentle subversion of our romantic expectations.
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| Charles Saxon Original art The New Yorker, June 25, 1966 |
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Charles Saxon The New Yorker, June 25, 1966 |
The original cover art is on display at "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration" at the Society of Illustrators. The exhibition, curated by Liza Donnelly, also includes a print of a classic Saxon cartoon from the mid-seventies. No one captured the upper classes and their attitudes quite like Saxon.
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| "It was nice. Hard times give everyone such a sense of camaraderie." Charles Saxon The New Yorker, April 7, 1975, p. 33 |
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| "It was nice. Hard times give everyone such a sense of camaraderie." Charles Saxon The New Yorker, April 7, 1975, p. 33 |
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| With a chess spot by TG and a cartoon by Charles Saxon |
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Note: I know I asked this once before, but who is the spot artist TG?
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| Spot drawing of chess pieces TG The New Yorker, April 7, 1975, p. 32 |
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