The New Yorker at One Hundred

The New Yorker's first issue was dated February 21, 1925, exactly one hundred years ago today. Rea Irvin's inaugural cover illustration must have mystified many people who saw it at the newsstand. Today, of course, we can see it for what it is: a classic. Happy birthday to The New Yorker.

Rea Irvin
The New Yorker, February 21, 1925

 

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Looking at Gallery Art: Two Saul Steinberg Magazine Covers

One artist: Saul Steinberg. One subject: spectators looking thoughtfully at art in a gallery. Two years of publication: 1961 and 1969. Two magazines: Art in America and The New Yorker. One question: Could these two magazine covers be more different?

Saul Steinberg

Art in America, No. 2, 1961, Vol. 49, No. 2

https://www.biblio.com/book/art-america-lipman-jean/d/1446879510

"COVER:   By Saul Steinberg, adapted from a drawing in The Labyrinth for the symposium 'What Should a Museum Be?'"

The Art in America wraparound cover was not identical to the drawing as it first appeared in The Labyrinth (1960). For the symposium image, Steinberg added to the right-hand portion of the drawing. He gave the woman in the background a geometric hat and put another woman behind her, seemingly emerging from her back. He put the outline of another figure immediately behind the stout man at center. He also gave the picture on the right a three-dimensional frame thicker on the bottom than the top.

https://www.pinterest.ch/pin/344243965265568162/

Steinberg's later New Yorker cover depicts a similar setting, but with a remarkable stream of consciousness.

Saul Steinberg
 The New Yorker, October 18, 1969

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Strolling by the Farm: Barbara Shermund and Peter Arno

Cartoonists Peter Arno and Barbara Shermund occasionally found themselves covering more or less the same territory. After the Second World War women gradually started wearing bikinis to the beach and adopting more revealing two-piece summer outfits. It must have been second nature for cartoonists to wonder how such daringly sophisticated summer wear would be greeted down on the farm.

This time it is Shermund who got there first. Her cover for the April 1948 Esquire contrasts not only the rural shepherd with the fashionable woman, it also juxtaposes the older male and the younger female generation. The typical young male Esquire reader would have had no trouble imagining the old man's reaction to the attractive woman walking by even if it weren't so obviously delineated on his face.

Barbara Shermund
Esquire, April 1948

https://www.amazon.com/watching-illustration-Shermund-Magazine-art/dp/B072Q9NFMJ/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1542148268&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=%22Barbara+Shermund%22+Esquire

Given the prominence of Esquire's monthly covers, it would be hard to argue that Arno hadn't seen Shermund's cover illustration. Arno's editors at the New Yorker likely must have seen it as well. Arno's New Yorker cover appeared a little more than four years after Shermund's. He doubles down on the passing women but he also backs off a bit, losing the one-on-one intimacy of Shermund's encounter. The three figures seen here are not so much individual personalities as conventionalized types. The farmer is younger than Shermund's, to be sure, but it is his unexpected behavior rather than his wide-eyed smile that makes this gag memorable.

Peter Arno
The New Yorker, August 2, 1952

Amanda Gormley, Barbara Shermund's niece, responds:

In Shermund’s piece the female, strikingly reminiscent to a later photo of Marilyn Monroe, walks independently alone past all manner of living things that stop to take her in. Even the squirrel has stopped chewing on his nut.

In Arno’s cover, the male is the more central figure, clueless to his wandering thresher and the accumulating steam cloud overhead. 

Shermund’s female “owns it” while Arno’s male “is owned.” 

Two very different voices.

Note:  "Tell Me a Story Where the Bad Girl Wins: The Life and Art of Barbara Shermund" is now on view at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. It will remain on exhibit through March 31, 2019.

Instagram posts hashtagged #peterarno may be seen here.

Posts on Instagram with the hashtag #barbarashermund may be reviewed here.

Back in 2011 my very first post on Peter Arno was about the sale of the original cover art seen here. I have since written more than one hundred posts about the artist.

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Mischa Richter: Daladier Salutes

My good friends, for the second time in our history, a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time.

—Neville Chamberlain 

September 30, 1938

Why does Mischa Richter's cover art for the American Marxist organ New Masses of December 13, 1938 show France's "radical" Prime Minister Édouard Daladier giving the Nazi salute? Cover blurbs read "French Reaction Runs Amok: A Cable from Paris" and "Who is this Daladier?" Daladier, nearly forgotten today, was premier of the French Third Republic. As such, he was a signatory to the Munich Agreement of 1938 in which France, the United Kingdom, and Italy permitted Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland, those parts of Czechoslovakia along Germany's border inhabited primarily by German speakers. This notorious act of appeasement ceded a strategic portion of Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany while only temporarily averting the outbreak of war across Europe.

Chamberlain, Daladier, Hitler, Mussolini, and Ciano before the signing of the Munich Agreement

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_Agreement#/media/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-R69173,_M%C3%BCnchener_Abkommen,_Staatschefs.jpg

Now we can understand the context of Mischa Richter's magazine cover. The original art was sold on eBay in March.

Édouard Daladier
Mischa Richter
Original art
New Masses, December 13, 1938

Édouard Daladier
Mischa Richter
New Masses, December 13, 1938

Mischa Richter
eBay Listing Ended March 25, 2018

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mischa-Richter-RARE-1938-New-Masses-Magazine-original-cover-art-P-Minister-/352281493740?hash=item52059d00ec%3Ag%3A2zkAAOSwzRFahCFF&nma=true&si=YQGb25QThn5Fxe78BW8tTy6VzZY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Mischa Richter
eBay Item Description

Mischa Richter
eBay Bid History

The winning bid is placed two hours before the auction ends. Another bidder tries to top it three times in the final twenty minutes without success.

"French Reaction Runs Amok." The New Masses gets it right:

Daladier Arrives Home

Note:  Attempted Bloggery seeks scans and photographs of original cartoon art by Mischa Richter and other New Yorker artists.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

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Original Magazine Cover Art

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Attempted Bloggery's Salutary Index

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Bil Baird's College Humor Covers

The balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade were originally created by puppeteer and illustrator Tony Sarg (1880-1942). The young puppeteer Bil Baird (1904-1987) went to work for him in 1928, constructing the balloons that Sarg designed. Baird can be seen atop a ladder painting the Sultan balloon for the parade in a vintage photograph while Sarg, center, supervises from the ground. 

Five years later, Baird struck off on his own. He formed Baird Marionettes in 1934. He used his puppet modeling skills to produce a series of magazine covers for College Humor in 1937. The magazine referred to them as "sculptures" and the color photographs, seemingly a novelty at the time, were credited to Dudley Lee. The women wear heavy eye makeup in all of these covers. The January cover by Sam Berman, Baird's predecessor, avoids all that heavy winter clothing your mother thinks you're wearing.

Sculpture by Sam Berman
Photograph by Dudley Lee
College Humor, January1937

Image upgraded July 11, 2024

https://www.ebay.com/itm/305656047957?...i

Today accusations of sexual harassment against prominent, powerful men are a major subject in the news. For decades, though, sexual harassment has been depicted in male-oriented humor magazines as a nothing more serious than a knowing, sexy joke. Wink wink. Get it?

Sculpture by Bil Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 5, No. 1, May 1937

Our blonde hero has fallen for a redhead, but she seems to have other ideas.

Sculpture by Bil Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol 5, No. 2, June 1937

https://www.terapeak.com/worth/college-humor-magazine-june-1937-cover-art-by-bill-baird-dudley-lee-peter-arno/401053373801/

Our hero understandably wants to get closer to his athletic redhead, but it's important to stay out of the line of fire.

Sculpture by Bil Baird

Photo by Dudley Lee

College Humor, Vol 5, No. 3, July 1937

It's summertime, and three's a crowd!

Sculpture by Bil Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 5, No. 4, August 1937

Scan by Dick Buchanan

Well, well. The new academic year brings success! Even the carousel horses know what's going on!

Sculpture by Bil Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 6, No. 1, September 1937

From "Working with the Photo-Puppets" by Gray Strider
Popular Photography, April 1938, page 23
https://books.google.com/books?id=RVwzAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=Bil+Baird+College+Humor&source=bl&ots=kUL_EA_XDR&sig=1-xlT19a4esin98feFWXPxyICjc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPqMzZzNTXAhVryoMKHTWACs0Q6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=Bil%20Baird%20College%20Humor&f=false

Our hero has gained new confidence! Yet he is wearing a freshman beanie. That detail doesn't seem right. Didn't his sweater on the July cover put him in the Class of '40? That would make him a sophomore. Still, he seems to be doing better with his romantic interest. There must be hope for all of us!

Sculpture by Bil Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 6, No. 2, October 1937

I'm not sure of the date of this one:

From "Working with the Photo-Puppets" by Gray Strider
Popular Photography, April 1938, page 22
https://books.google.com/books?id=RVwzAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22&dq=Bil+Baird+College+Humor&source=bl&ots=kUL_EA_XDR&sig=1-xlT19a4esin98feFWXPxyICjc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPqMzZzNTXAhVryoMKHTWACs0Q6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=Bil%20Baird%20College%20Humor&f=false

In the 1965 film version of "The Sound of Music," Bil Baird and his marionettes are at the top of their game in "The Lonely Goatherd."

"The Lonely Goatherd"
Maria—Julie Andrews
Marionettes by Bil Baird
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
"The Sound of Music" (1965 film)

Note: The July, September, and October 1937 covers of College Humor photographed here are from the Steven Boss humor magazine collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University. Contact Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green for information on the collection.

Thanks to Dick Buchanan for scanning the August cover. Dick is a regular contributor to Mike Lynch Cartoons, most recently a post entitled, "Dick Buchanan's Cartoon Files: More Cops and Robbers Gag Cartoons 1947 - 1968."

Two of the smaller cover scans are from eBay. I would love to receive higher-resolution scans of these. I'd also like to hear from anyone with other covers from the series or, better still, the original puppets or photographs.

There are lovely scans of three of these covers on Illostribute.

Happy Thanksgiving! I will not personally be taking any pictures of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons this year, but I probably could be persuaded to accept photographs submitted by readers of the balloon inflation or of the parade. Try me.


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The American Bystander #5

Right now you could be reading the brand new American Bystander #5 which sports a cover by the late Jack Ziegler.

Jack Ziegler, The American Bystander #5, Summer 2017

The artwork was originally conceived by Mr. Ziegler as a New Yorker cover, but it was not accepted by the magazine. It came to wide attention in a pamphlet distributed at Jack Ziegler's memorial in June and subsequently publicized on Ink Spill.

Jack Ziegler memorial pamphlet showing his proposed New Yorker cover

http://michaelmaslin.com/a-small-treasure-from-the-jack-ziegler-memorial-cartoon-companions-harry-bliss-interview-pt-2-looking-for-eustace/

Image added October 29, 2017

https://jackziegler.com/covers-hits-misses/

The classified section of the American Bystander features the world's first ad for one of my favorite blogs. While I doubt any traffic will come here as a result, if new readers should arrive today they will find today's first sentence waiting especially for them.

Note:  Attempted Bloggery publishes scans or photographs of original cartoon art by Jack Ziegler and other New Yorker artists. Okay, artists from the American Bystander are also welcome.

Get your copy of American Bystander #5 on Patreon.


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02322

Gregory d'Alessio for Collier's: The Family Gadabout

In 1950 America was enjoying a new postwar prosperity. At the boat show, there may still be a wealthy few shopping for yachts, but the sales are now directed toward the many young families interested in the small, affordable powerboat here called the Family Gadabout. Collier's cover artist Gregory d'Alessio is documenting nothing less than the rise of America's middle class. The three older children were born during the war, but that girl in her mother's arms is part of a new postwar demographic phenomenon called the baby boom. Incidentally those international maritime signal flags across the top spell out a message for those in the know:  "Collier's for Action."

Gregory d'Alessio, Collier's, January 14, 1950

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Colliers-Magazine-January-14-1950-Cover-By-Gregory-D-Alessio-/191828262101?hash=item2ca9dafcd5:g:adgAAOSwrklU9TEO

Note:  This concludes, for now, Attempted Bloggery's rather incomplete review of the work of cartoonist Gregory d'Alessio. Ink Spill documents his sparse work for the New Yorker appearing between 1934 and 1940. Attempted Bloggery continues to seek scans or photographs of original cartoon art by Mr. d'Alessio and other New Yorker artists. Scans of cartoons and illustrations from College Humor, Collier's, Esquire, and other publications would also be appreciated

Mr. d'Alessio's obituary in New York Times may be seen here.


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02298

And Then There Was Trump

It's time for a postscript to Barry Blitt's New Yorker cover of July 27, 2015. Blitt shows Donald Trump entering the Republican Presidential candidate "pool" with a graceless belly flop as Rand Paul, Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and Chris Christie seek cover. Now that Marco Rubio has suspended his bid for the Republican nomination this evening, Trump is the only one of these five candidates still in the race. He is still facing Ted Cruz and John Kasich for the Republican Party nod, but they were not among the candidates shown on this July magazine cover.

Barry Blitt, "Belly Flop," The New Yorker, July 27, 2015

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=2015-07-27#folio=CV1

Note:  The blog archives contain posts about Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Donald Trump, but mostly about Trump.

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Arthur Getz: Country Road in a Snowbound Landscape

Arthur Getz created the beautiful cover for the February 27, 1965 issue of the New Yorker almost by accident. In 1972, he described the development of this cover in The North Light Collection. It's fascinating to learn that it is only the upper part of the cover that was drawn from life, and that it originally illustrated the inside of a busy department store display! Of course it really wasn't an accident at all that created this cover; it was the work of an experienced artist who knew when and how to rethink his composition.

Arthur Getz, The New Yorker, February 27, 1965

From Howard Munce, ed. The North Light Collection, Fletcher Art Services, 1972

Photograph courtesy of Sarah Getz

Howard Munce, ed. The North Light Collection, Fletcher Art Services, 1972

Note:  Thanks once again to Sarah Getz for her invaluable help.

Arthur Getz's website may be found at getzart.com.

See more work by Arthur Getz in the blog archives.

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Big Barcodes

Here are a couple of strikingly similar magazine covers which both make reference to the Universal Product Code, or UPC. This barcode is now commonly used to scan trade products at checkout counters in grocery stores but there was a time when it was new and when it was resented.

Mad Magazine took up the gauntlet first, in it's April 1978 issue when the UPC label was first being introduced to magazine covers. A magazine might be expected to resent the UPC's infringement on its valuable cover space, the area the magazine uses to project its image and sell itself to newsstand customers. Mad showed its Luddite streak, reproducing a grotesquely-enlarged version of the UPC label and expressing the hope that "this issue jams every computer in the country." Mad's defiance might have had more bite if they had actually omitted the smaller, real UPC code.

A decade later, The New Yorker ran James Stevenson's cover, which uses an enlarged UPC image as a strong graphic element that overwhelms the small and oblivious supermarket shoppers. The New Yorker may safely assume that it doesn't share too many readers with Mad, but over a decade certainly some readers may migrate. Stevenson's use of the enlarged UPC label specifically pertains to grocery items and not to magazines. Note that The New Yorker's cover doesn't carry the real UPC label. The magazine's circulation is mostly by subscription, and these mailed issues do not carry the UPC barcode that copies of the magazine are required to have in stores.

Mad Magazine, No. 198, April 1978

James Stevenson, The New Yorker, November 14, 1988

Note:  James Stevenson's poster appears in my New York is Book Country post here. Stop by and find out what's lurking in the sewers of Book Country.

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