Five concerned housepets ponder the state of the world in a New Yorker cover proposal by Ronald Searle. The globe sitting on what is evidently a scholar's desk is surrounded by a dog, three cats—one a small kitten—and a parrot. The magazine's ubiquitous strap is rendered in heavy black ink along the left border intersecting with the perpendicular line of the desk top. Ample room is set aside at the top for the magazine's logo. But The New Yorker rejected this design.
Searle, working in the south of France, submitted finished artwork for his proposed covers. Even without a sale to the magazine, the art could be used in some future book (this one wasn't) or sold to a collector. The year of creation would be handwritten on the studio stamp on the verso of the art. Doyle New York did not disclose any such date in its sale of this piece on December 9, 2021 but it looks to be from around 1989, give or take.
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| Ronald Searle Doyle New York sale of Rare Books, Autographs & Maps, December 9, 2021 |
In the catalogue's description of the lot, Doyle speculates that these animals are "perhaps planning global domination." I would further speculate that the author of those words is from the generation that grew up with "Pinky and the Brain."
Note: See yesterday's post for James Thurber's much simpler approach to a similar idea.
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