Showing posts with label The Flashing Festers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Flashing Festers. Show all posts

Saturday, October 29, 2022

Fleur's Copy of Creature Comforts by Charles Addams

The great cartoon master Charles Addams presented his acquaintance Fleur with a copy of the collection Creature Comforts (1981) enhanced with an original drawing of Uncle Fester. This Flashing Fester—my term—is unusual for the inclusion of the dog, perhaps her greyhound. Items from Fleur's former library are offered by Meier and Sons Rare Books.










Charles Addams
eBay listing accessed October 28, 2022



Charles Addams
eBay item description




June 11, 2023 Update:  The Buy-It-Now price has been increased by $500.





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Friday, August 26, 2022

Charles Addams: Another Flashing Fester

Ten years ago I coined the term "Flashing Festers" to signify a specific type of souvenir drawing made by Charles Addams. These sketches featured his Addams Family character Uncle Fester engaged in some socially inappropriate behavior, if you will. The drawings typically have a dedication written across Fester's exposed chest and abdomen. The term hasn't caught on, but it still serves my purposes as the drawings continue to surface. 

Now we have one that was just sold on eBay accompanied by outstanding documentation of its authenticity. It is drawn on New Yorker stationery, indicating most probably that Addams created it in response to some office fan mail. Furthermore, the note was mailed, folded, in a New Yorker envelope. It is fully addressed in Addams's own unmistakeable hand with his surname also handwritten above the magazine's return address. It was postmarked on January 7, 1975 in New York, NY en route to Fort Lauderdale. Now, forty-seven years later, thirteen bidders placed fifty-five bids, and the drawing sold on August 21 for the not unreasonable price of $460.99.





Charles Addams
eBay listing ended August 21, 2022

Charles Addams
eBay item description

Charles Addams
A brief highlight from the eBay bid history







June 11, 2023 Update:  The letter has been relisted on eBay with better and brighter images—at five times the price.






Charles Addams
eBay listing accessed June 11, 2023
https://www.ebay.com/itm/265901860695?hash=item3de8fc6757:g:9gIAAOSwqKpjL0y0&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwA1JbleuKQrvz2LkDoPCTUw1UwkbSDozrsIZxwnrkOUQsyxL5VDNMAVaH0vVDGuGBP10qYUem1Xn0GOHoTzJwHWyauBJ%2FIKGwXY0z8E4YO1SyR1hmsbLuk9Fk0SYc6p9QDdtE9qbqbfiAbpTupNOOgn197JKG8Ug3dyq8LM1KghtYzBznqjVhvj9hJW%
2FP6pfvhaNlfGkUS43IomAxj32Czv7OXuJbiSI1s8tZhYPNNufOSkdmgXWGvsb3hfoSMtTDg%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR5CQ-sSVYg







Note:  My original post on the Flashing Festers of Charles Addams can be viewed in the archives here.


More original drawings of Uncle Fester, flashing and otherwise, would make welcome submissions to this blog.




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Saturday, December 8, 2012

Charles Addams: The Flashing Festers

Over the years, Charles Addams created a number of what I call "Flashing Festers," souvenir drawings featuring his iconic Addams Family character Uncle Fester revealing his bare chest and his underwear. A couple of them have been offered at auction by Heritage in the past:

Charles Addams, Uncle Fester.
Heritage Auctions Listing, July 28, 2012

Charles Addams, Uncle Fester.
Heritage Auctions Listing, July 28, 2012

Charles Addams
Uncle Fester. Dedicated "To Richard with all best"
on the front free endpapaper in a copy of The Groaning Board, 1964
Heritage Auctions Listing, November 16, 2011

Charles Addams
Uncle Fester. Dedicated "To Richard with all best"
on the front free endpapaper in a copy of The Groaning Board, 1964
Heritage Auctions Listing, November 16, 2011

Charles Addams
The Groaning Board, 1964
Heritage Auctions Listing, November 16, 2011


Charles Addams, Uncle Fester. Dedicated "To Richard with all best"
on the front free endpapaper in a copy of The Groaning Board, 1964
Heritage Auctions Listing, November 16, 2011



One of the most elaborate of these flashing Festers is currently being offered by Bauman Rare Books in New York City. At $3,800, it is also the most expensive one I've seen. It appears in a copy of the cartoonist's 1981 collection Creature Comforts and was dedicated by Mr. Addams to Mary Lee and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., for Christmas 1982. Uncle Fester sports boxer shorts with festive red and green stripes.

Now you know how to respond the next time someone asks you whether Uncle Fester wears boxers or briefs.

Charles Addams, Uncle Fester
inscribed to Mary Lee and Douglas [Fairbanks, Jr.], 1982,
in a copy of Creature Comforts, 1981
 Bauman Rare Books Listing, 2012

Copy of Creature Comforts inscribed in 1982 by Charles Addams to 
Mary Lee and Douglas [Fairbanks, Jr.]
 Bauman Rare Books Listing, 2012

Charles Addams
Creature Comforts, Bauman Rare Books Listing, 2012


Sold!
Image added March 23, 2017

October 11, 2015 Update:
























Charles Addams
eBay Listing Ended July 20, 2015
Charles Addams
eBay item description










September 4, 2018 Update:  As mentioned in the comments section below, reader George Kovalenko of Saskatoon, who writes the Fountain Pen History, Hand & Pen blog, has found a Flashing Fester in a 1977 copy of Newsweek, where it is purportedly identified as an Addams self-portrait.

Charles Addams
Newsweek, April 18, 1977, page 61
The University of Sasketchewan library



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