Peter Arno: All Aboard the Elevator

A classic cartoon by The New Yorker's Peter Arno was sold on eBay this past Sunday:

"I told you we should have given them something for Christmas."
Peter Arno
Original art
The New Yorker, January 1, 1938, p. 16

True, we don't usually see manually-operated elevators these days, but they were once commonplace in New York apartment buildings. Arno extracts an awful lot of physical humor from the situation. Contrast the couple's awkwardness with the upright posture of the elevator operator.

"I told you we should have given them something for Christmas."
Peter Arno
Original art
The New Yorker, January 1, 1938, p. 16

Each of Arno's faces adds to the comedy.

The typed caption is affixed to the art, a no-no. The word told isn't even underlined.

Peter Arno's signature

Evidently the frame is not perfect.

Peter Arno
eBay listing ended May 12, 2024

https://www.ebay.com/itm/276453401977

Peter Arno
eBay item description

"I told you we should have given them something for Christmas."
Peter Arno
The New Yorker, January 1, 1938, p. 16

"I told you we should have given them something for Christmas."
Peter Arno
Original art
The New Yorker, January 1, 1938, p. 16

With a cartoon by Peter Arno and a spot drawing by Susanne Suba

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1938-01-01/flipbook/016/

A copy of this issue offered on Amazon clearly shows the cartoon to be on page 14, not 16. If the photograph looks familiar, it's because the seller used a lower-resolution version of this image as the final one in the listing. This magazine listed on Amazon is no doubt one of the regional variants lacking some of the pages in the New York metropolitan edition which the magazine kept as file copies.

Page variant

https://www.amazon.com/Jan-1-1938-New-Yorker-Midgettes/dp/B00ODDX8JK

In addition, the cartoon was collected in Peter Arno's Cartoon Revue (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1941), Cartoon Cavalcade (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1943), The Penguin Peter Arno (Penguin, 1949, 1957), and no doubt elsewhere.

Peter Arno's Cartoon Revue (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1941)

Craven, Thomas, ed. Cartoon Cavalcade (Chicago: Consolidated Book Publishers, 1945 edition)

The Penguin Peter Arno (Penguin, 1957)

* * *

Spot of a woman unbuttoning by a mirror
Susanne Suba
The New Yorker, January 1, 1938, p. 17

Note:  Original cartoon art by Peter Arno comes to eBay only when it is changing hands. We can enjoy even more Arno originals here when generous collectors choose to share their art virtually here. You may take that as a hint. Thank you, and don't forget to tip your blogger.

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Peter Arno: Man in the Shower Preliminary Art

According to Michael Maslin's new biography of Peter Arno, the idea for Man in the Shower, one of Arno's most celebrated images, originated with cartoon editor James Geraghty. Arno initially had no idea how to go about drawing the preposterous situation of a man drowning in his shower and relied on Geraghty for guidance. An example of preliminary art by Arno would appear to date from pretty late in the process, as Arno has worked out most of the details that were to appear in the final published drawing.

Happy Father's Day! Let's be really careful out there.

Peter Arno, Prelimary art
The New Yorker, August 28, 1943, page 26

Peter Arno,The New Yorker, August 28, 1943, page 26

http://www.wsj.com/articles/an-homage-to-new-yorker-cartoonist-peter-arno-1459269500

Peter Arno, The New Yorker, August 28, 1943, page 26

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1943-08-28#folio=026

The famous cartoon is not shown on the cover of Man in the Shower....
Peter Arno, Man in the Shower,  New York:  Simon and Schuster, 1944

eBay

...But it does appear inside!
Peter Arno, Man in the Shower,  New York:  Simon and Schuster, 1944

eBay

The Penguin Peter Arno, 1957

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18389115-the-penguin-peter-arno

Cartoonist Profiles, December 1974

Peter Arno, Man in the Shower, 1944
1976 reprint edition

eBay

Peter Arno, 1990
Back cover

Image added May 7, 2017

https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Arno/dp/0060972971

Peter Arno, Prelimary art
The New Yorker, August 28, 1943, page 26

Note:  I know I shouldn't have to say this, but anyone anywhere with access to any other original Arno variants on this theme—or really any theme—should get in touch as soon as possible. In fact, anything drawn or written or photographed by Arno is probably worthy of a blog post in the future. In the future, but not right now...

For now I'm going to take a break from writing about Peter Arno, one of the most fascinating cartoonists ever. When I started in March I thought I could write about him for maybe a week or two, and I still feel I have enough material to keep it up for maybe another week or two. I hope I've shown that Arno is a great subject to write about, and maybe someone somewhere—not I—will dedicate a blog to him. That person will have my blessing.

We live in exciting times. For the first time ever a full-scale biography of Peter Arno is available! Peter Arno: The Mad, Mad World of The New Yorker's Greatest Cartoonist by Michael Maslin is essential reading. But don't take my word for it. You can check out the book review in the Christian Science Monitor that calls the book "dazzling." There's also an excerpt entitled The Peter Arno Cartoons That Helped Rescue The New Yorker which was published on May 5 in the New Yorker's online edition. It's all about those wildly popular Whoops Sisters. You know.

Wait!  There's more:

Peter Arno posts on Ink Spill. Arno's biographer holds forth.

Peter Arno in Chris Wheeler's Cartoon(ist) Gallery. Warning:  It's pretty awesome.

The Comics Journal interviews Michael Maslin. Wow!

Peter Arno in the April 26 Record.

Peter Arno in April's Vanity Fair. 

Peter Arno in the March 29 Wall Street Journal.

Peter Arno is represented in numerous posts here on Attempted Bloggery. If you can't beat 'em...

More preliminary New Yorker cartoon art also graces this blog.

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