No doubt there is a story behind a copy of the cartoon collection Nightcrawlers (1957) which was signed by Charles Addams in 1973, some sixteen years after publication. It is inscribed by the artist to Glenn Shea with a "large" drawing of Morticia, who is tall and thin enough to dominate a page.
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| Charles Addams AbeBooks listing accessed May 10, 2026 |
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| Charles Addams AbeBooks item description |
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| Image added May 16, 2026 |
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Wednesday's child is full of woe—"Monday's Child"
I've written it here many times over the years when discussing Charles Addams: Although the Addams Family characters we are so familiar with today had their published origin in The New Yorker in 1938, these family members themselves weren't given proper names until the appearance of the television show in 1964. These are no doubt wise and well-considered words of mine—if only they were correct!
Wednesday, the morbidly-inclined Addams Family girl, actually received her name three years before the TV series. She is named for the day of the week in the nursery rhyme on which a child is born "full of woe."
The New York Times announced the appearance of a Wednesday doll on August 11, 1961. In a short article titled "Cartoon Child Called Wednesday is Recreated as Woeful Rag Doll," readers learned that the Addams doll would be available in early September at Brentano's and Doubleday, leading area bookstores.
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| The New York Times, August 11, 1961, p. 14 |
A few of these dolls are still around. They originally retailed for $7.98 and were created by Aboriginals, Ltd. Some color photos of the 1961 Wednesday doll, 22" high, taken from eBay are now archived on Worthpoint:
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The Times article also hints at a doll under development featuring Wednesday's brother, the as yet unnamed Addams Family boy. Today we all call him Pugsley but Addams, we know, wanted to name him Pubert. In the Times, he is just "Addams' little blond boy who keeps reptiles as pets."
The 20" doll was to be issued in 1962, again by Aboriginals, Ltd., marketed under the name Irving—in retrospect maybe not the best choice. An example of the Irving doll was sold at Hake's in 2022 for $1,667.93 including the buyer's premium:
We now come to the third and final redrawn New Yorker cartoon by Charles Addams that came to light three years ago when offered for sale at an auction house in Penzance. Like the two we have already seen, this one features characters we today recognize as the Addams Family. The original drawing was published in The New Yorker of August 30, 1947.
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| "It's the children, darling—back from camp." Charles Addams The New Yorker, August 30, 1947, page 20 |
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| A cartoon by Charles Addams and a spot drawing of a street corner by "h" |
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| "It's the children, darling, back from camp." Charles Addams Original art Published as "It's the children, darling—back from camp." The New Yorker, August 30, 1947, page 20 |
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| "It's the children, darling, back from camp." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, August 30, 1947, page 20 |
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| Original |
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| Redraw |
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| Original |
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| Redraw |
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| Original |
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| Redraw |
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| Original |
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| Redraw |
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| "It's the children, darling, back from camp." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, August 30, 1947, page 20 |
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| Verso of Whatman drawing board |
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| Signature of Chas Addams |
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| "It's the children, darling, back from camp." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, August 30, 1947, page 20 |
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| Handwritten caption in capital letters |
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| "It's the children, darling, back from camp." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, August 30, 1947, page 20 |
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| Verso label |
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| Verso |
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| Detail of Lurch, Morticia, driver, Wednesday, and Pugsley |
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| Detail of Gomez |
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| Charles Addams Lay's Auctioneers Fine Art Sale of January 29, 2021 |
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| The three Addams redraws in the virtual Fine Art Sale Lot 583: Redraw of January 24, 1948 Lot 582: Redraw of August 30, 1947 Lot 581: Redraw of November 25, 1939 |
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| "h" Spot drawing of a street corner The New Yorker, August 30, 1947, page 21 |
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Three previously-unknown redraws of New Yorker cartoons by Charles Addams came to light when they were brought to auction early in 2021. One of them has the character we know today as Lurch bringing the one we call Morticia her tea. (Addams Family characters were not assigned names until the 1964 television series a full quarter century after this drawing was published.) There is a broken table lamp that serves as a single light source, allowing the two figures to be front lit while casting dark shadows behind them. Addams in 1939 was already a master of architectural detail, presenting it in a state of dilapidation to enhance the gothic, spooky atmosphere.
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| A cartoon by Charles Addams and a spot drawing by Roger Duvoisin |
The cartoon was also to appear in Drawn and Quartered (1942), Addams's first collection:
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| https://thecarycollection.com/products/drawn-and-quartered-1942-addams-chas |
It was later used on the cover of the first revised paperback edition published by Pocket Books (1964):
There was a published print with the caption printed in Addams's hand from his original:
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| https://www.ebay.ca/itm/153076797703 |
The redraw of this cartoon was made no later than the late 1940s. There are some noteworthy differences from the New Yorker drawing, particularly the peering presence of Thing, above. It was sold at auction in early 2021 for a hammer price of 5500 GBP.
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| Chas Addams's signature is on the left, not the right, in the redraw. It is also a later signature than seen in the 1939 example. |
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| Detail of Thing peering down from above. Thing is not to be found in the New Yorker drawing, although the ceiling panel is there. |
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| Detail with foxing |
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| Verso |
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| Detail of verso |
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| The handwritten caption is in all capital letters. Is it in Addams's hand? |
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| Detail of Morticia and Lurch |
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| Charles Addams Lay's Auctioneers Fine Art Sale of January 29, 2021 |
Here they are, published drawing and redraw, presented together for comparison:
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
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| "Oh, it's you! For a moment you gave me quite a start." Charles Addams Redraw after The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 16 |
Note: I wish again to thank the uncredited individual who told me of this sale back when it happened. You know who you are.
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| Tree Movers Spot drawing Roger Duvoisin The New Yorker, November 25, 1939, p. 17 |
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