Charles M. Schulz: Peanuts Piano Dance

The first Peanuts Sunday strip was drawn by Charles M. Schulz early in 1952. Six years later, the original art seen here was produced:

Peanuts, February 16, 1958
Charles M. Schulz
Original art

The characters in the February 16, 1958 strip are Lucy, Schroeder, and Snoopy. Snoopy and Schroeder play a duet for violin and piano with Snoopy standing on the piano. As they play, the beagle breaks into his happy dance. Schulz produced any number of great strips. This one is a masterpiece.

Peanuts, February 16, 1958
Charles M. Schulz
Original art

The original art was sold at Heritage Auctions on August 4. I stopped by about a day before the sale to check on it. The online bidding was spirited, but the one could dream this superb comic strip was almost within reach.

Charles M. Schulz
Heritage Auction listing accessed April 2, 2024 one day before the auction

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/comic-strip-art/charles-schulz-peanuts-sunday-comic-strip-snoopy-lucy-and-schroeder-original-art-dated-2-16-58-united-feature/a/7413-92168.s?ic16=ViewItem-Auction-Open-MostActive-Thumbnail-112917

Charles M. Schulz
Heritage Auction item description

Sold!

04923

Otto Soglow: A Scarier Scarecrow

The original art for a 1968 Sunday comic strip of Otto Soglow's The Little King was sold on Wednesday at Heritage Auctions. The strip was typically a pantomime, but on September 22 there was a single line of speech: "The crows are not scared by a scarecrow!" Fortunately the Little King thinks up an effective remedy.

Otto Soglow
Original Sunday comic strip art
The Little King, September 22, 1968

Otto Soglow
Heritage Auctions Wednesday Comic Art & Animation Select Auction
September 18, 2024

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/comic-strip-art/otto-soglow-the-little-king-sunday-comic-strip-original-art-dated-9-22-68-king-features-1968-/a/322438-48227.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

Note:  I too am always in the market for a better scarecrow, but I'm also happy to display more and better original art by Otto Soglow (1900-1975). You'd think I wouldn't need to keep looking up his years.

04752

Walt Kelly's Pogo: After the Moonshot

"Today the moon, tomorrow the stars!" After America's first two successful space flights to the moon in 1969, Howland Owl realizes that the next obvious destination is the sun. He tells Churchy LaFemme he's invented a new kind of space suit. But has he?

The comic strip, of course, is Walt Kelly's Pogo and it dates from January 25, 1970, when everything was still rosy some three months before the nearly disastrous voyage of Apollo 13. The original art was sold on eBay in 2013 and your faithful blogger has been sitting on it all this time waiting for the right moment. Maybe this is it. 

Walt Kelly
eBay listing ended October 9, 2013

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pogo-Sunday-Original-by-Walt-Kelly-Howland-Churchy-1970-/111182042033?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e2f753b1&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Walt Kelly
eBay item description

04737

Mischa Richter: Strictly Business

Another four original comic panels of Mischa Richter's syndicated strip Strictly Richter changed hands on eBay in March. They date from the 1950s and not the 1960s despite the eBay seller's title. According to the seller, these cartoons are "about people and life." Why didn't I think of that?

The first panel was published late in 1955. It features an impatient artist reprimanding his model, improbably named Miss Drones. Oh, that's the joke. 

"Please, Miss Drones, not during business hours!"
Mischa Richter
Original comic panel art
Strictly Richter, December 24, 1955

Three years later, Richter is still spelling during with an extra n. He probably could have eliminated the word the from the caption. The artist was born in Ukraine, so we'll forgive him.

"I hope you don't mind. He always comes to see me during the visiting hours."
Mischa Richter
Original comic panel art
Strictly Richter, November 8, 1958

Concerns about cultural insensitivity were not widespread at the time.

"Have a smoke on me. It's a boy!"
Mischa Richter
Original comic panel art
Strictly Richter, July 29, 1958

I don't think overdose is the best word here.

"Pretty flowery for an overdose of sunburn."
Mischa Richter
Original comic panel art
Strictly Richter, December 24, 1955

Mischa Richter
eBay listing ended March 25, 2024

https://www.ebay.com/itm/355448944517?itmmeta=01HZTNBXJ30BPDDKBGG1CA73GX&hash=item52c2687785:g:gSMAAOSwKz9lxN8t&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4B%2FMSv2rCa9VwvMLvuiQ5jAL%2B5XkZbeh71cJGoA5IDgdyj8wecjEe4a4rmfaFmYCiUHSiIUk8RnpblPHIfR1aDSRfjiweiZz59Z1

b%2Fb5QuUMa5KvFY24n2Con2MTX29LpHO5sr7Xd4pMDpq3w4zfUArGLSfPJmponxGN79x2HDTjVSoWm4cOSOPbC0yWzb0PgSLDZw0m5Ki7uP5RUb9ylAXZFJZ0E7wNjQ9F12L7Z4tEXB5wf2qdJN41m21n0xWpweTrRv3qlQADuHSJZ28aHheh7PQqLtdq3RLOZ5slAPzI%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4rZr9X-Yw

Mischa Richter
eBay item description

Mischa Richter
eBay bid history
The lesson is to bid late, not early.

04663

Mischa Richter: Not Spoiled

Four original 1950s comic panels from the syndicated strip Strictly Richter were sold on eBay early in December. Of course, they are the work of Mischa Richter, today best remembered for his New Yorker cartoons. The panels convey the artist's range and versatility.

"I told him that I'm not really spoiled, I just want my own way!"
Mischa Richter
Original comic panel art
Strictly Richter, October 22, 1958

"He put me on everything he took you off of, dear.""
Mischa Richter
Original comic panel art
Strictly Richter, January 6, 1955

"What flavor?"
Mischa Richter
Original comic panel art
Strictly Richter, November 14, 1955

"Take a good look. This will probably never happen again.""
Mischa Richter
Original comic panel art
Strictly Richter, September 10, 1956

Mischa Richter
eBay listing ended December 6, 2023

https://www.ebay.com/itm/355163873807?itmmeta=01HQMB2Z4KBZZ7S3JM0S085BP1&hash=item52b16aa20f:g:PA4AAOSw9aNlRkN9&itmprp=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwG5JA6AQPo6SL09f4QLWjWU42ShtnDAU5WPA2I932nn5RJG%2F7en76tcDuGgLNcWp0EG6nmi0Tn8I1qbLT9%2FsufqfbotoHR7

PAeafaBAOzzYHK6jPkxxBFUvkKTY8SqFo7%2FEOkgR9qMUVCLr7kaW%2FwKc%2F2rmdKOXgrOL2mJd6EDfCDNLzHGZCcgAtUjK%2FClaM45JmoDDkUDkdVTYpnnmxsYHuPR%2BXI5Saq64m1XIscHl2j6qqZhlz0XFyDhaYcrFcHw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6zyi4u9Yw

Mischa Richter
eBay item description

Mischa Richter
eBay bid history
As I never get tired of saying, the latest bid gets it

04596

Emily Flake: Hallowe'en Costumes for Babies

"Hallowe'en Costumes for Babies" is an installment of cartoonist Emily Flake's Lulu Eightball. The comic strip ran in alternative weeklies from 2002 to 2016. This example was published on October 30, 2013. The original art from ten Halloweens ago was sold at Weiss Auctions on November 15. Its estimate was $150 to $300, but the actual realized price was $65.

Emily Flake
Weiss Auctions, November 15, 2023

https://weissauctions.nextlot.com/auctions/1497215/lots/22686910

04535

Al Capp: For the Gal He Loves

Al Capp's original art for the Li'l Abner comic strip of December 17, 1967 has the title character wondering aloud what a bachelor can do for the gal he loves? Mammy Yokum won't help him out, because it wouldn't be romantic. The original comic strip was given to two of Capp's doctors by his daughter after the artist's death. It reportedly was one of "those he was fondest of."

Al Capp's signature

Al Capp
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries listing accessed on July 9, 2023 before the sale

https://live.thomastonauction.com/lots/view/1-7LMANS/lil-abner-comic-strip-artwork-by-al-capp-1909-1979

With a presale estimate of $500 to $700, bidding started at $250. The sale price was $375.

04376

Seven Drawings by Virgil Partch

Illustrator and collagist Stephen Kroninger has submitted images of seven original drawings by cartoonist Virgil Partch, Vip if you like. The first was published in Vip: The Mad World of Virgil Partch in 2013 and no doubt elsewhere during Partch's lifetime (1916-1984).

Vip:  The Mad World of Virgil Partch (2013)

I don't know where the next four drawings were published but they can very likely be found somewhere in Vip's many book collections.

"You've heard of sleepers who roll and toss? Shorty there just rolls."

"But he's buying"

Partch may have recycled the above gag in 1977 in Big George, setting the gag in a restaurant instead of a bar. Sorry for the poor image quality:

Big George, Detroit Free Press, May 4, 1977, p. 57

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/98301254/

"I wonder if you'd check the right rear."

"Now there's a guy who's really traveling light."

Two of Stephen's drawings are from Partch's gag panel strip Big George:

"No skis in the bar!"
Big George, January 27, 1976

Again, sorry for not subscribing to newspapers.com, but you get the idea, if not the whole picture: 

Detroit Free Press, January 27, 1976, p. 37

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/98224576/

"Don't you recognize the Australian Open champion when you see him?"
Big George, June 1, 1976

Cedar Rapids Gazette, June 1, 1976, p. 35

https://newspaperarchive.com/cedar-rapids-gazette-jun-01-1976-p-35/

Note:  I want to thank Stephen Kroninger for these scans of Partch's original art. This is Stephen's thirty-fourth contribution to Attempted Bloggery and they've all been truly great.

This blog, by the way, is the place to have other original art by Virgil Partch posted. Just submit your scans and tell me what you know about them. I suppose it's obvious that I could also use better scans of the above newspaper panels.

 

03394