Peter Arno's drawing in ink and wash of his Whoops Sisters is new to me. The pair are dancing in a nightclub where they exhibit identical hand gestures and identical taste in men. They both are speaking here, suggesting a typical saucy dialogue which no doubt includes the word "Whoops." It's hard to guess what other thoughts they may be sharing, although their intended captions, possibly, could be hidden under that soiled matte. The work was sold at auction last year.
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| Peter Arno's signature |
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| Peter Arno Merrill's Auctioneers & Appraisers |
Note: Whoops! I'm not sure if I've mentioned it this week, but I do love to post original art by the great Peter Arno. Collectors who would like to have their own Arno pieces displayed here on the blog for all to see are encouraged to send scans or photos.
Was this Whoops Sisters piece ever published? It might have been, but I haven't found it. Perhaps some enterprising reader may recognize it.
My thanks to Michael Maslin, Peter Arno's biographer and a celebrated New Yorker cartoonist in his own right, for allowing me to sound him out on this previously unknown wash drawing. An indispensable excerpt from his Arno book concerning the phenomenal rise of the Whoops Sisters may be found here.
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