Peter Arno: What Morris Needs

The amorous Morris gets some sound if probably unwanted advice from the young woman he has his arms wrapped tightly about. The scene is from an original Peter Arno cartoon that was sold at auction just yesterday. The drawing in its day was not accepted by The New Yorker, but it does appear in Peter Arno's Circus (1931). 

"Listen[,] Morris. What you need is a wife!"

Peter Arno

Original art

Published as "Listen[,] Charlie, what you need is a wife."

Peter Arno's Circus, Horace Liveright, 1931

Arno had used the name Morris a few times in New Yorker captions; this eager young man was renamed Charlie when he finally got to appear in print. The book collects Arno's work, most of it published in The New Yorker between 1929 and 1931; this drawing may well be one of the earlier examples in the set.

"Listen[,] Charlie, what you need is a wife."

Peter Arno's Circus, Horace Liveright, 1931

Perhaps the magazine thought the drawing gymnastically improbable, or the sensible caption too at odds with the lustful scenario. Having the woman's face covered makes it difficult to interpret her words. Does she herself want to be Morris's wife? That seems unlikely. Does she want him to find a wife and leave her alone? Maybe, but that doesn't quite fit with her actions either. Is her lifestyle too exhausting? Her pose seems willing. What exactly do her words mean?

Peter Arno's signature

Neal Auction Company of New Orleans gave this drawing a presale estimate of $700 to $1000. The opening bid was set at $125. They go so far as to describe it as in "overall poor condition." That seems a bit harsh for something that still looks good and remains in one piece after more than ninety years. Calling it in fair condition might be more...fair. 

Peter Arno
Neal Auction Company listing accessed January 10, 2022

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/peter-arno-american-new-york-1904-1968-151-c-d3f43029ec?objectID=176478577&algIndex=upcoming_lots_prod&queryID=e48a68f94c471405a77df72280ee209d

The piece sold yesterday for $1,200, not including the premium.

04197

Promoting Peter Arno's Circus: Audacity Vs. Dirt

Two contemporary advertisements for Peter Arno's Circus, his 1931 cartoon collection, show distinctly different approaches to the art of book promotion. The first was spotted by Scott Burns in the New York Times Book Review of January 11, 1931. Under the banner "Audacity vs. Dirt," it revels in Arno's reputation for racy humor, and in the consummate skill which he brings to his art—not like, you know, some of those crude hack artists out there. Well, see the language for yourself:

Advertisement for Peter Arno's Circus
The New York Times Book Review, January 11, 1931

Photo by Scott Burns

In contrast, here is how the book was promoted on Arno's home territory in The New Yorker:

Advertisement for Peter Arno's Circus
The New Yorker, December 14, 1931, page 91

Unsigned spot drawing, news breaks, and various advertising

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1931-12-12/flipbook/090/

Peter Arno's Circus, 1931

Image added March 18, 2022

https://www.biblio.com/book/peter-arnos-circus-arno-peter/d/1160648062?aid=frg&gclid=Cj0KCQjw29CRBhCUARIsAOboZbKDV-fR6h5tvjRrwYCRI_1YVKjy2quVXb63xkq4HnTokhU1Se5nmdsaAvqKEALw_wcB

Note:  Scott Burns has come through once again, earning my gratitude here for the fifteenth time. Among his many accomplishments, Scott maintains a comprehensive Ralph Steadman bibliography here. I wouldn't steer you wrong.

As a result of these new findings, I've had to update my far-from-comprehensive 2016 post on Peter Arno book promotions here.

Are there other print ads for this book? Your discoveries can be added to this blog.

Glory be! Who can identify this spot artist?

03909

Peter Arno Uncovered

I bought my copy of Peter Arno's Circus (1931) for $12.50 in late 1988. The cartoon collection was pushing sixty then, so it was not surprising if it was a bit beaten up with no dust cover in sight. That was really not a concern of mine at the time. I was happy enough to add it to my library in its imperfect state and to bring my Arno collection closer to completion. Besides, I wouldn't have known how to find a copy with a proper dust jacket if I'd wanted to. Before the internet, pretty much it either came your way or it didn't.

Now the book is pushing ninety and that missing original dust jacket is something of a collector's item. It's a real curiosity today too, a relic of the long-defunct circus sideshow. The cover depicts a circus "fat lady" named Fatima, the exotic name taken, apparently, from a song in the 1921 stage musical "Love Birds" by Sigmund Romberg which punned on the name's first syllable. Arno's stock Timid Man character, walking with his rail-thin wife, turns to contemplate the bountiful mysteries of Fatima, who regards him in turn with an alluring smile. That ability of Arno's to let us read his characters' unspoken desires is truly uncanny!

A copy of the book is currently offered for $250 on AbeBooks by Between the Covers. It includes the dust jacket and three additional Arno prints which do not appear in the book and which may have been provided by the publisher. The price is twenty times what I paid for my copy in 1988.

Peter Arno
AbeBooks Listing Retrieved June 28, 2019

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=5849304204&searchurl=sortby%3D1%26tn%3Dpeter%2Barno%2527s%2Bcircus&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-image1

"Fat, Fat Fatima" from "Love Birds" (1921)

Music by Sigmund Romberg

Lyrics by Ballard MacDonald

José Ferrer as Sigmund Romberg

From "Deep in My Heart" (MGM, 1954)

Directed by Stanley Donen

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/2871/

Arno knew his audience connected the name Fatima to the sideshow "fat lady." A 1928 Arno cartoon depicts a magic act at a circus sideshow. Signage across the background advertises "Fattest Woman—La Belle Fatima."

"Fake, ain't it?"
Peter Arno
The New Yorker, May 8, 1928, page 13

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1928-08-11#folio=012

Reader and long-time contributor David from Manhattan has sent along three images of the flap copy:

Photo by David from Manhattan

Photo by David from Manhattan

Photo by David from Manhattan

Note:  I wish to extend an apology to every woman in the world named Fatima.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Peter Arno

Sideshows

Attempted Bloggery's Recovering Index

02970

Peter Arno at the Leicester Galleries

The online Encyclopædia Britannica entry on Peter Arno shows a photograph of the America cartoonist posing with his works at the Leicester Galleries exhibition in 1932. Wouldn't it be great to get a closer look at the cartoons? Of course it would. Let's number the top row one through five from left to right, and the bottom row six through ten, and then see what we can do.

Peter Arno at the Leicester Galleries, London, 1932

http://www.britannica.com/biography/Peter-Arno

1. "Damn this black carpet! I never can find my socks."
The New Yorker, March 22, 1930

2. "I just stepped out a minute to get the milk, dear."

The New Yorker, December 21, 1929

3. "Haf you had any previous experience in pictures?"
Peter Arno's Circus (1931)

4. ["?"]

5. ["?"]

6. "Sh! I've been coquetting with La Flamme since a quarter past the hour!"
The New Yorker, October 12, 1929

7. ["?"]

8. "Good God, young man! For a second I thought you were Colonel Brisley—of Nantucket!"
Peter Arno's Circus (1931)

Image added January 16, 2017

9. "Don't fret, sir, Madam will be back in a minute."
The New Yorker, April 6, 1929 

10. "Why Major Pauncefoote! What a surprise!"
The New Yorker, April 9, 1932

Note:  Three of these ten cartoons are unknown to me. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who can help identify any of them. I would also like to hear from anyone with a catalogue from the original 1932 London exhibition; they seem to be quite rare. It would also be great to learn of the current whereabouts of any of this artwork. Did most remain in England? Did Arno bring the unsold ones back home? Someone somewhere must know something.

This blog's collected Peter Arno posts are only a link away.

01877

Peter Arno's Circus Signed Limited Edition 1931

The cartoon collection Peter Arno's Circus was published in 1931. The signed limited edition consisted of 110 copies, down from the 145 copies issued in 1930 for the Hullabaloo limited edition. It seems the Depression was making it hard to sell deluxe editions of cartoon collections, along with other luxury items.

Peter Arno's Circus (1931), copy 105 from the limited edition of 110

Limitation page from Peter Arno's Circus (1931)

Note:  By now the blog archives have quite a lot to say about Peter Arno. This is the 60th post to mention the artist. You'd better have a look-see. There are also quite a number of signed books.

Also by now you probably have your own copy of Peter Arno: The Mad, Mad World of The New Yorker's Greatest Cartoonist by Michael Maslin. If you don't, check out the book review in the Christian Science Monitor that calls the book "dazzling." There's also an excerpt entitled The Peter Arno Cartoons That Helped Rescue The New Yorker which was published on May 5 in the New Yorker's online edition. It's all about the Whoops Sisters. Who are they, you ask? You shouldn't know.

Here are some more links for the Arno devotee:

Peter Arno posts on Ink Spill. 

Peter Arno in Chris Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Gallery. What a library! Does he have the signed limited edition of Peter Arno's Circus? Yes, and another signed copy to boot.

Peter Arno in the April 26 Record. It's northern New Jersey's newspaper, or so I'm told.

Peter Arno in April's Vanity Fair. 

Peter Arno in the March 29 Wall Street Journal.

01859