Attempted Bloggery: Personna

Showing posts with label Personna. Show all posts

Saturday, April 8, 2023

Whitney Darrow, Jr.: Three Illustrations for On Campus with Max Shulman

Three illustrations created by New Yorker cartoonist Whitney Darrow, Jr., for the Leo Burnett Advertising Agency seem a little puzzling without the full text they were meant to accompany. One of my leading theories had been that this series of drawings was created for a Personna razor blades advertising campaign—Personna is listed as the client on the back of each of these. It is now clear to me that they illustrate the "On Campus with Max Shulman" column which was sponsored by Personna.

https://umdarchives.wordpress.com/2018/11/26/a-war-of-pens-with-one-of-umds-most-notorious-alumna/

In fact, two of these drawings have Shulman pencilled in at the bottom. The artwork dates from 1966 to 1967 or thereabout.

Or Logging
Shulman Col[umn] #2 '66-67

"Did the Minotaur have ticks? If so, were they immortal?"
Shulman #1 1967-8

Daily News

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
eBay listing ended January 18, 2023

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144896257059?hash=item21bc7d6c23%3Ag%3Afg4AAOSw%7Ebxjvrie&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAwDGTdPwC7GXL%2BeWc4vA51%2Bqv9xsZUhLPMb0ET1bslAXk2Fa%2BVBs35xjfGa%2BRshFUiDN3o6wO Mjy89Y74bhVqB%2FKudcNRvyy48uc79POJTItk QqqMl9ughfX4vr7vkeqmQaTpLIf00eIfphbrQcC7Zz0%2FNUPnXpijp

U1nqDuvvE7rLU43KFchQbcDhXGkcH0h0%2FZum2jJJ4xqgfclnv2KWaIOrCF8CadWCGWwIN5FGwVR0vJIYnKJrmC%2FDXa86bevTQ%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8aruZbrYQ&nma=true&si=WEtIFz5%252FkfY9UxP8WWeB%252FCaqeVQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
eBay listing ended January 18, 2023

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
eBay bid history
One bidder places three bids, just to be sure.

https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/#id=xzvv0004

Which leads us to this much better image:

"There Are No Bad Teachers;
There Are Only Bad Students"
Max Shulman on Campus
The Winonan
Winona State College, Winona, MN
May 11, 1967, p. 3

https://openriver.winona.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1138&context=thewinonan1960s

"Did the Minotaur have ticks? If so, were they immortal?"

Note: Please write or leave a comment if you can locate where and when either of the other illustrations were printed.

04283

Saturday, January 7, 2023

Retrofuturist Modernism: Whitney Darrow, Jr., On Campus with Max Shulman

Once again, illustration art by Whitney Darrow, Jr., is hard to decipher on its own. The original art from 1967 looks forward to the year 2079 when space travel and modernism are all the rage, and President Chester A. Arthur is improbably relevant. The accompanying file sticker suggests this art was created for Personna razor blades, but that might be a red herring. The name of humorist Max Shulman is written on the overlay, so this very well could be a column illustration for "On Campus with Max Shulman." Suddenly, it all makes sense. Almost. [See the newly added quotation and the column below.]

"This mathematical curiosity will not occur again until the year 2079, but we will all be so busy then celebrating the Chester A. Arthur bi-centenerary that we will scarcely have time to be writing papers and letters and like that."

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
eBay listing ended October 20, 2022

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144613411083?hash=item21aba1890b%3Ag%3AmgEAAOSwKY1iseSg&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAoPRWpsKFKyx4lilbDIkbHHvkkpjKu4IWPNDBSpsXf%2FAcJMoHg9EP1r%2BwpASW2L3sMVY4Y5%2FbyR1zDaEQ321KRLue6O5TaTRQ5CeXnTwiVWe32bJihX4mb0YvtjJfIHmBQB3axzMlPEkMzLUm1ZRLpXhrdkhvpgUzPFtZrChbhBFNc9SF4oGsokOThA3qyIns2A0BM8cM7L6yi%2FtyAv24KOA%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR-6ygKKxYQ&nma=true&si=64J6TuENCQvl%252FEQuIbsoMEcDQlw%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
eBay item description

Note: Where, pray tell, are the print media that correspond to Whitney Darrow's original art? At least one blogger wants to know. Can you help?

It finally occurs to me that any or all of the mysterious Personna ads by Darrow I have previously chronicled might actually be column illustrations for "On Campus with Max Shulman."

April 8, 2023 Update: Ah, here it is.

https://www.industrydocuments.ucsf.edu/docs/#id=zfbv0004

And, better still:

"1968: Its Cause and Cure"
On Campus with Max Shulman
The Winonan
Winona State College, Winona, MN
January 11, 1968, p. 3

https://openriver.winona.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1144&context=thewinonan1960s

"This mathematical curiosity will not occur again until the year 2979, but we will all be so busy then celebrating the Chester A. Arthur bi-centenerary that we will scarcely have time for writing papers and letters and like that."

04192

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Personna Advertising Art by Whitney Darrow, Jr., Part 3

Original advertising art by Whitney Darrow, Jr., depicts a dog being examined by a veterinarian. The ailing pup carries a gift certificate in paw. Just how this image served to promote Personna razor blades is unclear, but we can assume the print ad would have spelled it all out for us. [See the added caption and the updates below.]

"And your dog, fidele semper,
Here's a cure for his distemper."

Signature of Whitney Darrow, Jr.

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
eBay listing ended January 30, 2022

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144382965196?hash=item219de535cc%3Ag%3A8BwAAOSwNsdh7arx&nma=true&si=WEtIFz5%252FkfY9UxP8WWeB%252FCaqeVQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
eBay item description

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
eBay bid history
Two bidders waste twelve early bids. A third bidder takes it all in the final nine seconds.

January 7, 2023 Update: I have come to believe that this artwork may actually be an illustration for the column "On Campus with Max Shulman" rather than advertising art for Personna razor blades.

April 8, 2023 Update: Aha! It's from the "On Campus with Max Shulman" column sponsored by "The makers of Personna and Burma-Shave..."