Daise Terry's Copy of Men, Women and Dogs by James Thurber

Daise Terry, the New Yorker's office manager, was the fortunate recipient of a copy of James Thurber's Men, Women and Dogs (1943). The extraordinary collection of cartoons is briefly but affectionately inscribed to her by the artist. We have seen in earlier posts that she received other personalized books from such cartoon luminaries as Charles Addams and, it seems likely, Peter Arno.

Inscribed "For Terry
Love and kisses
James Thurber"

James Thurber
AbeBooks Listing Accessed July 9, 2020

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=5849304316&searchurl=bi%3D0%26ds%3D30%26bx%3Doff%26sortby%3D1%26kn%3DNew%2BYorker%26recentlyadded%3Dall%26sgnd%3Don&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp4-_-image18

Note:  At the time of this posting, the Thurber book remains available from the bookseller.

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James Thurber: Lawn Scarf

The design of a scarf featuring various charming figures by James Thurber—men, women, dogs...and rabbits—takes drawings apparently created for other purposes and arranges them in a plain geometric pattern. They are unified on a stylized lawn with a simple border of grass and flowers, additional flowers being spread across the field of the scarf. The date and the designer are unclear. The scarf is printed in black on chartreuse but there is another version in black on white, and it very likely exists in other colors as well.

James Thurber
eBay Listing as Archived on Worthpoint
Retrieved February 17, 2019

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/james-thurber-scarf-signed-dogs-fab-75581631

Detail of scarf in the black on white version

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/428475352020290500/?lp=true

January 10, 2020 Update:  Another scarf sold on eBay bears the tag of Richard A. Farrar, confirming the designer.

With a tag of designer Richard A. Farrar

James Thurber Scarf
eBay listing ended October 18, 2020

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-Signed-JAMES-THURBER-yellow-silk-scarf-w-black-famous-dog-cartoon-print/154132001277?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

James Thurber Scarf
eBay item description

James Thurber Scarf
eBay bid history
Purchased for a best offer of $28.

Best offer of $28 accepted

Note:  I'm eager to hear from anyone with further information about this scarf design containing images by James Thurber. When was it released? What did it originally cost? Worthpoint subscribers: when was it sold on eBay and for how much? Just how many color combinations are there?


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Scarves

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02877

James Thurber's Premonitions

An original 1938 New Yorker cartoon by James Thurber was listed on eBay in February of this year at $20,000. The seller warned that "This will be up for seven days only—if it doesn't sell, to Sotheby's it goes."

Well, it didn't go to Sotheby's, at least not yet. In fact, it didn't go anywhere so far. But its asking price was reduced to $15,000—still up in the stratosphere, mind you—and some welcome additional photos of the artwork were added to the listing. The provenance is reported to be writer Peter De Vries and Peter L. Stern and Co., Inc., of Boston.

Thurber's drawing takes advantage of our tendency to read images, like captions, from left to right. The use of the dark background lends it an unusual boldness. The woman's gait is rendered unconvincingly and the hands, the ones Thurber hasn't avoided drawing all together, are extremely formless and loose. The facial expressions, on the other hand, are peerless.

"You and your premonitions!"
James Thurber
Original art
The New Yorker, May 21, 1938, page 24
Men, Women and Dogs, 1943
The Thurber Carnival, 1945, page 354

After the original listing, the eBay seller added three additional photos of the original artwork which is framed behind reflective glass:

"You and your premonitions!"
James Thurber
Original art
The New Yorker, May 21, 1938, page 24
Men, Women and Dogs, 1943
The Thurber Carnival, 1945, page 354

"You and your premonitions!"
James Thurber
Original art
The New Yorker, May 21, 1938, page 24
Men, Women and Dogs, 1943
The Thurber Carnival, 1945, page 354

"You and your premonitions!"
James Thurber
Original art
The New Yorker, May 21, 1938, page 24
Men, Women and Dogs, 1943
The Thurber Carnival, 1945, page 354

James Thurber
eBay Listing Ended February 19, 2018

https://www.ebay.com/itm/JAMES-THURBER-ORIGINAL-ART-FOR-PUBLISHED-1938-NEW-YORKER-CARTOON-AMAZING-/232663723171?hash=item362bd6aca3%3Ag%3AjKwAAOSwL9pagiEO&nma=true&si=YQGb25QThn5Fxe78BW8tTy6VzZY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

James Thurber
eBay Item Description

"You and your premonitions!"
James Thurber
The New Yorker, May 21, 1938, page 24

"You and your premonitions!"
James Thurber
Original art
The New Yorker, May 21, 1938, page 24
Men, Women and Dogs, 1943
The Thurber Carnival, 1945, page 354

https://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1938-05-21#folio=024

Why on earth should this caption be capitalized?

"You and Your Premonitions!"
James Thurber
The Thurber Carnival, 1945, page 354

January 1, 2019 Update:  The price has been reduced by another $2000—and it's still high!

Note:  This piece and its eBay offering have been discussed on Ink Spill.

Readers with other original Thurber art to show off are encouraged to show it off here.


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02681