Barbara Shermund: Working Girl

Yesterday at Heritage Auctions, a fine original cartoon by Barbara Shermund was sold. It's a color piece from her syndicated panel series that appeared in "The Cheering Section" of Pictorial Review for June 1, 1947.

"We had a terrible argument. I told him lots of girls kept right on with their jobs after marriage."
Barbara Shermund
Original art
Pictorial Review, June 1, 1947

The online bidding started strong almost two days before the live bidding.

Barbara Shermund
Heritage Auctions listing accessed November 17, 2025, almost two days before the sale

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/illustrations/barbara-shermund-pictorial-review-january-1949-single-panel-gag-cartoon-illustration-original-art-king/a/322547-48264.s?ic2=mytracked-lotspage-lotlinks-12202013&tab=MyTrackedLots-101116

Barbara Shermund
Heritage Auctions item description

Sold!

January 22, 2025 Update:  Yesterday, D. D. Degg of The Daily Cartoonist posted a black-and-white scan of the newsprint cartoon from newspapers.com dated June 1, 1947. I have corrected the publication date above accordingly.

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Barbara Shermund: Beach Sighting

It's so helpful to find that original cartoon art by Barbara Shermund has its publication history written out in big letters on both sides of the paper. Thus we learn that this beach cartoon appeared in "The Cheering Section" of Pictorial Review, a syndicated Sunday newspaper color supplement from King Features, dated August 7, 1960. While her cartoons appeared in pairs in Shermund's Sallies, "The Cheering Section" generally published a single large cartoon surrounded by a variety of smaller written and illustrated pieces.

"I just can't see what she sees in him!"
Barbara Shermund
"The Cheering Section"
Pictorial Review, August 7, 1960

Barbara Shermund's signature

Detail

These diagonal views don't add much.

Verso
"Cheering Section
Rel[ease] Aug 7- (60)"

Verso
"Cheering Section
Rel[ease] Aug 7- (60)"

Barbara Shermund
eBay listing ended March 6, 2022

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175183905398?hash=item28c9c64276%3Ag%3ALE8AAOSw1JNiICAT&nma=true&si=64J6TuENCQvl%252FEQuIbsoMEcDQlw%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Barbara Shermund

eBay item description

Barbara Shermund
eBay bid history
One bid in the final five seconds

Note:  I'm fresh out of copies of the August 7, 1960 issue of Pictorial Review and so is the internet, as far as I can tell. I call on readers and collectors of sixty-odd-year-old newspaper inserts to send in scans or photos of "The Cheering Section" page. Also, can anyone find my wetsuit?

03907

Barbara Shermund: Rules for Skinny Dipping

Truth be told, Barbara Shermund's full color gag cartoon for various family newspapers doesn't look all that different in either style or subject matter from her sexy contributions to Esquire, the men's magazine. A cartoon from late 1956 reveals a couple of female skinny dippers surprised to learn that a rule-spouting park ranger has been observing them. The voyeuristic gag must have been deemed appropriate for general circulation, although it was definitely not a part of the comic pages.

"The Cheering Section" is where this gag appeared in the San Francisco Examiner and in the Province (Vancouver)—and no doubt in other major newspapers—and this could well have been a page of Pictorial Review syndicated by King Features. The release date, or Rel, appears on the verso of the image. But then who wants to look at the back of this image?

"Now, remember, ladies, no fishing!"
Barbara Shermund
Original art
"The Cheering Section"
The San Francisco Examiner, November 4, 1956, page 218
The Province (Vancouver), November 10, 1956, page 77

Verso

Barbara Shermund
eBay Listing Retrieved January 1, 2019

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-BARBARA-SHERMUND-WATERCOLOR-ILLUSTRATION-ART-CHEERING-SECTION-11-4-56-/123572592236?oid=123512728837

Barbara Shermund
eBay Item Description

Image added January 14, 2019

"Now, remember, ladies, no fishing!"
Barbara Shermund
Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph (Pittsburgh, PA)
"The Cheering Section"
November 4, 1956, page 94

Image added June 7, 2019

https://www.newspapers.com/image/524067058/?terms=Now%2C%2Bremember%2C%2Bladies%2C%2Bno%2Bfishing!

"Now, remember, ladies, no fishing!"
Barbara Shermund
The San Francisco Examiner
"The Cheering Section"
November 4, 1956, page 218

Image upgraded June 7, 2019

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/458373764/

"Now, remember, ladies, no fishing!"
Barbara Shermund
"The Cheering Section"
The Province (Vancouver)
November 10, 1956, page 77 [page 12]

Image upgraded June 7, 2019

https://www.newspapers.com/image/500239086/?terms=Now%2C%2Bremember%2C%2Bladies%2C%2Bno%2Bfishing!

Note:  That first comma in the caption following the word Now is a bit unnecessary, don't you think?

It is Amanda Gormley who points out that the abbreviation before the date is probably Rel, short for Release date. Obviously, I think she is correct.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Barbara Shermund

Skinny Dipping

Original Cartoon Art

Attempted Bloggery's au naturel Index

Cheers!

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