J. C. Leyendecker's original cover art for the Saturday Evening Post edition of November 24, 1928, depicts the pilgrim's progress over three-hundred years. Its title is Thanksgiving, 1628-1928. The work was sold at Heritage Auctions in 2015.
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| https://www.instagram.com/p/DC-L5aFvz7M/?img_index=2 |
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Crossing West 86th Street today in a taxi, I chanced upon the very last float lined up for tomorrow's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. On Thanksgiving morning, Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, and numerous elves will ride in this reindeer-driven sleigh all the way down to Herald Square.
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On November 14, Heritage Auctions sold the original art to a Saturday Evening Post cover by J. C. Leyendecker from the issue of November 26, 1932. Titled Thanksgiving Crest, it might not be what one is expecting of the artist or the Post. It is from the collection of Michael Dolas.
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Bidding started at $75,000. Four days before the sale, no online bids had yet been placed. The estimate was $150,000 to $250,000.
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| J. C. Leyendecker Heritage Auctions listing accessed November 9, 2025 |
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| J. C. Leyendecker Heritage Auctions item description |
Many people admire New Yorker covers—inspired full-page illustrations presented to the world free of promotional text—but opportunities to get to see the original art from which they are created are few and far between. It's so gratifying when such cover art does surface and come to the market, sometimes many decades later. Frank Modell's original art for the issue of November 25, 1961 was just sold at Heritage Auctions in April. It is a thoughtful, atmospheric image that anticipates the first Thanksgiving in a way that is both humorous and affecting.
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| Frank Modell Original art The New Yorker, November 25, 1961 |
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| Frank Modell Framed original art The New Yorker, November 25, 1961 |
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| Frank Modell Heritage Auctions listing of April 23, 2024 |
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| Frank Modell Heritage Auctions item description |
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| Frank Modell The New Yorker, November 25, 1961 |
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| Frank Modell Original art The New Yorker, November 25, 1961 |
The artwork is still available on eBay, priced at about three times what the cover art went for.
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| Thank You, no. 63/200 Roz Chast |
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| Roz Chast's signature and the limitation |
Throughout these dozen years or so of attempted blogging, I have benefited from the support of a bevy of generous contributors, advisors, and occasional nitpickers. I owe a great debt to each of the individuals listed below for offering much-appreciated help and inspiration to me over these past twelve months. To any others I may have neglected to include this go round, please accept my thanks despite my inexcusable laxity.
Tom Bloom
Scott Burns
Vincent Coca
David from Manhattan
Linda H. Davis
Claude Haber
Joel Jacobus
Stephen Kroninger
Beth Lawler
Michael Maslin
Paul Nesja
Ben Roth
Steve Stoliar
Uki
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| Roz Chast eBay item description |
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A 1951 ad for Baker Furniture shows off the unmistakeable style of Otto Soglow. It was published in The New Yorker where Soglow's cartoons were popular and, as his work was widely known, it may have appeared in print elsewhere as well. The ad is in the form of a single-panel cartoon but it has a decorative frame around it with some additional copy, so it shouldn't be mistaken for one of the magazine's signature drawings. At Thanksgiving, we are reminded to be "especially" thankful for the some of the material things in life.
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| "And especially we are thankful for our Baker furniture" Otto Soglow The New Yorker, November 24, 1951, p. 135 |
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| https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1951-11-24/flipbook/134/ |
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A quick check of the blog archives reveals that it has been twelve years since I attended the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and six years since I visited the balloon inflation. Any reasonable person would conclude that I have officially retired from parade going. Fortunately, three million other people still do go and one of them, my friend Uki, provided me with some photographs for which I am very grateful. These pictures were taken at Columbus Circle as the parade turned from Central Park West onto Central Park South—while I watched on TV at home.
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| Pillsbury Doughboy |
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| Pillsbury Doughboy |
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| The Boss Baby |
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| The Boss Baby |
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| The Boss Baby |
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| Ada Twist, Scientist |
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| Ada Twist, Scientist |
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| Ada Twist, Scientist |
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| Blue's Clues & You! |
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| Chase of PAW Patrol and the 1-2-3 Sesame Street float |
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| 1-2-3 Sesame Street |
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| Keystone Cops are a part of the Macy's Clown Corps. They preceded the New York Police Department Band. |
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| Police flag bearers follow the NYPD Police Band. |
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| Red Titan Ryan's World |
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| Red Titan Ryan's World |
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| Goku Dragon Ball |
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| Goku from Dragon Ball and the Brick-Changer float from Lego |
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| Goku Dragon Ball The statue of Christopher Columbus is on the far left. |
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| Macy's Stars in seasonal headgear |
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| Tiptoe Macy's |
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Pikachu and Eevee Pokémon |
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Pikachu and Eevee Pokémon |
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Pikachu and Eevee Pokémon |
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| Candy Cane |
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| Santa & Co. |
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