Marcelle Methlin's Copy of Which Way Did He Go? by Ronald Searle

In 1961 cartoonist Ronald Searle left his English wife Kaye Webb for Monica Koenig and moved to Paris. Short on cash, he was eager to barter his artwork for rent, food, and wine. His social center became the Restaurant des Beaux-Arts on the Left Bank, owned by Marcelle Methlin. In February of 1962, Searle presented one Marcelle with a personalized and hand-illustrated copy of his 1961 collection Which Way Did He Go? It has a watercolor of a bearded artist who looks very much like Searle creating a drip painting of the dedication "Pour Marcelle." It is my conjecture that this Marcelle and the friendly restaurateur are one and the same.

Back cover with a detail of Broadway, NY

Ronald Searle
eBay listing ended September 24, 2023

https://www.ebay.com/itm/392594507350?hash=item5b6874c656:g:jysAAOSwt8Jd3mbS&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA8Ci2umlvShRdOb40xRE0UVQ%2Btp8usr4H6IrO54WpkcNcs2BAPggHtekHnKdEhSPcOmdkWwHcKcUx%2BMDYbR8Wi2rWWlmVsnHhtmnRERr4gfOhW10v%2B6opIDUEe4lhgRI8Oa9

sc7h6iY8y9Z36OFlrIBmJWUZEn1XoMGMiluOkL6GECc6PMfHq%2FnMha4%2BRrWBDafbxw9KvsRBGg1eELKl0sfVd74JN1SeX0gFAMANqxGXTk%2FDZz5mkrWuXAe8jqWVplgICro5x7HcJW8yj0OzYJ0YeBMiZoUG8IrwPUoJ3RoeGU%2FEOe%2FKDe0jzpHXaIckPzA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR57sn8XYYg

Sold for best offer of 1,960 Euros

Note:  This is far and away the best copy of Which Way Did He Go? that I've posted; actually it's the only copy on the blog. Readers with a cartoon book that's also a candidate for best copy, whether by Ronald Searle or otherwise, are encouraged to submit it to the blog.

For further reading on Searle, Marcelle Methlin, and the Restaurant des Beaux-Arts, see Perpetua, the Ronald Searle Tribute blog's 2014 post "Bohème."

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Ronald Searle: Teenybopper in Demi-Paradise

This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,

—Richard II

II.i

Ronald Searle's 1959 drawing of a pouting teenybopper with her guitar appeared in the July 28 number of Punch. This character illustrated the word Demi-paradise from John of Gaunt's "This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle" soliloquy. In 1961, the drawing was collected in Which Way Did He Go?

The presale estimate by Dreweatts 1759 Fine Sales was 1,000 to 1,500 GBP, with bidding starting at 950. 

Ronald Searle
Dreweatts 1759 Fine Sales listing accessed February 1, 2023

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/l-ronald-searle-british-1920-2011-teenie-bopper-183-c-683456e834?objectID=177268279&algIndex=upcoming_lots_prod&queryID=3e247c1cf26aad0232321f6cd9869d24

Ronald Searle
Dreweatts 1759 Fine Sales item description

The auction hammer price hit the high estimate.

Demi-paradise

https://ronaldsearle.blogspot.com/2006/06/london.html

March 9, 2023 Update:  The new owner of this piece has gone public on Instagram here.

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