A Few First Steps Into "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration"

The exhibition "Drawn From The New Yorker:  A Centennial Celebration" fills two floors of the Society of Illustrators, so there are two very good places to begin. To take in the show's material chronologically, a visitor can start at the bar on the third floor. As usual, a festive painting donated by Norman Rockwell welcomes all, as do a variety of libations.

A scrapbook kept by the magazine of published cartoons by Helen E. Hokinson is displayed under glass, on loan from The New Yorker's library. The page is open to her work from December 1926. Below that is the magazine's first cartoon issue from 1997 and the first album of drawings (1928). On the lowest level there are several smaller pony editions of the magazine published for America's overseas troops during World War II.

New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly curated the show. She and her husband, New Yorker cartoonist Michael Maslin, loaned the exhibition a 1940s-era portrait of founding editor Harold Ross by magazine artist Garrett Price.

A photograph by Arnold Newman shows Ross and his wife Jane Grant who, along with Raoul Fleischmann, founded The New Yorker. (Fleischmann provided financing through his family's yeast and baking enterprises.)

A bold 1926 magazine header designed by Johan Bull for the Skyline section is also on loan from the collection of Maslin and Donnelly. They have not been able to determine if it was published.

Note:  These few photographs hardly begin to cover the delights of this exhibition. "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration" is now on view at the Society of Illustrators. The full show may be seen in all its glory through March 12. The second floor gallery currently featuring more recent material will remain open through May 3.

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Joe Dator: Pull Cord

In the eBay listing for his original New Yorker cartoon published in the issue of April 9, 2018, Joe Dator provides all the vital information, leaving a blogger nothing to do but copy it and try to come up with a creative title for the post. But, wait! The cartoonist reports in full not only the original caption, but he has given his cartoon an additional title as well:  Pull Cord. What else could there be to say?

Well, there is one more thing. The Citigroup Center, formerly the Citicorp Center, is visible in the background, notable for the 45 degree slant of its roof. That roof faces south—it was at one time going to have solar panels—which means we are looking north up Third Avenue and therefore the sightseeing bus is headed west somewhere around 49th Street. As these buses generally travel on the avenues, the skyline here is probably just meant to indicate "somewhere in midtown."

A cartoon by Joe Dator and a baseball spot by Alain Pilon

Joe Dator
eBay listing ended January 8, 2022

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284599018627?hash=item42436c6483%3Ag%3AVZcAAOSwPc9h2Icn&nma=true&si=64J6TuENCQvl%252FEQuIbsoMEcDQlw%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Joe Dator
eBay item description

Note:  The New Yorker covered the story of the Citicorp Center's potentially calamitous engineering flaws in the issue of May 29, 1995.

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1995-05-29/flipbook/044/

Joe Dator points out to me that the title Pull Cord, which I dutifully applied to this post, doesn't refer to this cartoon at all but to one published in The New Yorker of December 4, 2017. Fortunately for me, I did not archive that auction so I won't have to come up with a new title for it.

Pull cord in case of sudden awareness that the person nest to you is facing you

Joe Dator

The New Yorker, December 4, 2017, p. 40

Baseball spot by Alain Pilon

Image added August 7, 2022

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Donald Trump's 2014 Sketch for Wisconsin Honors

Last week reader jmodonoghue left a comment on the blog directing me to an auction of an original drawing by Donald Trump. I had chronicled a few of these drawings done for charity back in 2017 around the time of his Presidential Inauguration but I was unaware of this resale, which occurred in December of 2017. Back before his run for the Presidency, Donald Trump was in demand to provide original drawings to be offered at charity auctions and he often complied with the requests. From the sporadic examples I've seen, the artwork he contributed frequently became top sellers at these auctions. I would estimate his drawings generated well over $100,000 for various charities, perhaps quite more.

The drawing that was sold by Nate D. Sanders Auctions in December 2017 was created for Wisconsin Honors in 2014. The auction listing dutifully notes that it is a sketch of the New York skyline in winter. No doubt the absence of foliage suggested winter to whoever described this drawing. Sanders also notes the Brooklyn Bridge in the background. Long-time New Yorkers may wish to identify this bridge instead as the Queensboro Bridge (or the 59th Street Bridge) which connects Trump's native Queens to Manhattan.

Trump, who is not an artist, produced drawings for charity auctions that often outsold work contributed by more skilled draftsmen. It is obvious that he did not delegate these to anyone else. One reason for their success, no doubt was his celebrity, long-established in New York but made national by "The Apprentice." The other reason, I think, is that Trump's drawings are an excellent example of his uncanny skill at branding. By focusing on New York's skyline, he creates images that reinforce his reputation as a major real estate developer.

Donald Trump
Nate D. Sanders Auction Listing
December 14, 2017

https://natedsanders.com/donald_trump_signed_drawing_of_the_new_york_city_s-lot47922.aspx

Note:  Thanks to jmodonoghue for informing me of this sale.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Donald J. Trump

New York City

Attempted Bloggery's Wintry Brooklyn Index

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Donald Trump's 2005 Sketch for Pushing the Envelope to Support Literacy

An original 2005 sketch by Donald Trump features Trump Tower as a prominent landmark in the New York City skyline. The boldly-signed drawing's sale last week was picked up the news media and helped to create some buzz for Nate D. Sanders Auctions. For years, Mr. Trump's sketches for charity auctions were a win-win for both the then–real estate developer and the various charities he supported. The charities were only too pleased to have Trump's participation. A press release from Pitney Bowes, the sponsor of the "Pushing the Envelope" campaign to support literacy, listed Donald Trump first among the celebrities contributing drawings. Bidders, in turn, responded enthusiastically to his sketches.

Trump, for his part, did well too. He was able to participate in charity events at no financial cost to himself; he donated signed drawings that took a few minutes at most to create. Despite lacking any drawing skills to speak of, he was able to create signature works that effectively promoted both himself and his brand, not an easy thing for anyone. As might be expected, his election as President of the United States has increased interest in Trump memorabilia including drawings that are out there. This one had a minimum bid of $9,000 and sold on July 27th for $29,184.

Donald Trump
Nate D. Sanders Auction Listing
July 27, 2017

http://natedsanders.com/Donald_Trump_Signed_Drawing_of_the_New_York_City_S-LOT46814.aspx

Inside Edition

July 26, 2017

The auction house listing states this piece was "Originally drawn by Trump for a charity event, and very rare, with only a handful of such drawings known." That "handful," so far as I can tell, was identified through research done here on this very blog. In the blog archives there are three other drawings of the New York skyline by Mr. Trump, two on paper and one on a ceramic mask. There is also a tracing done by Trump of his own hand. Not that you asked, but it's quite large.

Note:  Look in the blog archives here for what may well be the most complete record of Donald Trump's drawings for charity events.

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Steadman's Skyline

Ralph Steadman's fanciful Skyline fixes an ornate dome and cupola atop a modern office tower. The incongruous clash of architectural styles is the apparent subject of the drawing.

 Ralph Idris Steadman (b. 1936), Skyline 

signed 'Ralph Steadman' (lower left) 

ink and wash on paper 

21 x 15¾ in. (53.3 x 40 cm.)

Special Notice Artist's Resale Right ("droit de Suite"). If the Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer also agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent. 

Provenance Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner.

Estimate 800-1200 GBP 

(US $1,200-1,800; 900-1,300 Euros)

Unsold

Christie's South Kensington 

6 September 2011, 

Lot 1469

Dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, London. This may not be an exact match for what Steadman has drawn.

Image added June 23, 2012

http://www.gothereguide.com/st-pauls-cathedral+london-place/

Note:  Alice illustrator Ralph Steadman was featured memorably last year in my inexplicably popular A Mad Tea Party blog post.

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