William Steig: Coming Home Late

It's late at night in Apartment 3K. Seventy years ago, the readers of Collier's were treated to a wonderful cartoon by a wonderful cartoonist: William Steig.

William Steig
Orignal art
Collier's, May 11, 1956

Evidently rejected by The New Yorker which would have had first crack at it, the drawing presents us with a couple uniquely suited to each other.

William Steig
Framed, orignal art

Collier's, May 11, 1956

The framed original art was listed some two months ago by Honey & Wax Booksellers of Philadelphia and it remains available at the time of this posting. 

William Steig
AbeBooks listing accessed July 21, 2026

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Original-gag-cartoon-Colliers-magazine-Steig/32452863076/bd

William Steig
AbeBooks item description

The published cartoon is in Dick Buchanan's clip files and appeared on the blog Mike Lynch Cartoons. 

William Steig
Collier's, May 11, 1956

https://mikelynchcartoons.blogspot.com/2018/01/from-dick-buchanan-files-william-steig.html

William Steig
Orignal art
Collier's, May 11, 1956

05304

Milton Caniff: A Leprechaun

It's generally a good idea to avoid making unfounded assumptions, particularly online. Nevertheless, I would guess that a fan named Mike Mongan wrote to the popular comic strip artist Milton Caniff back in the day, and requested, perhaps, a souvenir. I further imagine he was not disappointed with the color artwork he received in reply. Whatever the story, though, the drawing of a winking leprechaun, pipe in mouth, seems a fitting work to bring out ahead of St. Patrick's Day. Caniff has embraced an unfortunate stereotype, and that leprechaun appears to be rather inebriated. What we have then is a smoking, winking, drinking leprechaun—or so I would assume.

Milton Caniff
AbeBooks listing accessed April 11, 2025

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Leprechaun-Sketch-Signed-CANIFF-MILTON/32177586780/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&ref_=pe_aep_AEP_wants_buyer-wants&cm_ite=viewbook

Milton Caniff
AbeBooks item description

05226

Sam Cobean: A Golf Shot

A work of original New Yorker art by Sam Cobean was sold yesterday at Heritage Auctions:

Sam Cobean
Original art
The New Yorker, June 11, 1949, p. 20

A word about golf rules might be helpful here. Tree roots are a part of the golf course so if one's golf ball lands there, one plays it as it lies. In golf terms, there is no free relief.

On February 16, the presale bidding stood at $575, or $718.75 with the buyer's premium.

This is a very strong Cobean cartoon and a good golf cartoon to boot. The market bid it up accordingly. The lot was sold to an internet bidder for twice what the price had been on the 16th.

Sam Cobean
Heritage Auctions listing of February 18, 2026

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/illustrations/sam-cobean-the-new-yorker-single-panel-gag-cartoon-illustration-original-art-conde-nast-publ-1952-/a/322607-48051.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515#

Sam Cobean
Heritage Auctions item description

Heritage erroneously gives the date of the cartoon's publication in The New Yorker as June 7, 1952. This is off by some three years. A Leslie Starke cartoon in the same Heritage sale appeared in that issue instead. Whoops.

Cobean's golf drawing in reproduction looks very much like his original art.

Sam Cobean
The New Yorker, June 11, 1949, p. 20

Sam Cobean
Original art
The New Yorker, June 11, 1949, p. 20

With cartoons by Sam Cobean and Alan Dunn

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1949-06-11/flipbook/020/

* * *

On the page opposite, The New Yorker has placed a drawing with much shading to balance out Cobean's lines. Alan Dunn has some fun showing us an unforeseen attitude toward labor among one of the elite in Communist Russia—one who is permitted to travel abroad.

"What a deal out there, what a deal! Houseboys! Coolies! Anything
you want, just snap your fingers."
Alan Dunn
The New Yorker, June 11, 1949, p. 21

Note:  Sam Cobean's art doesn't get seen on this blog nearly enough, so readers who would like to share their hidden Cobean treasures here should, well, play it as it lies.

05204

Cocktail Napkins by John Held, Jr.

Two vintage cocktail napkins dating, very likely, from the 1920s and designed by John Held, Jr., in his woodcut style, are currently listed on eBay:

John Held, Jr.
eBay listing accessed September 10, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/127038341312?_skw=john+held+jr&itmmeta=01K3J5NYNRT6Q07WZRR0ZK7KCE&hash=item1d941340c0:g:qdcAAeSwep9n1E47&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0IUNi59bckQcV2ImusJGAkFavM%2BnzXkkMwwUDcyIUHH2Z4AbpgHsgCGSArbHjuI%2FNQqLxCuIe8xfAjjXbvhi4sEtTqrthJ0UPBI9GIojYmx82sNGKPwKcxF0wXKyf22zkGcPN5LYcfr7Ux%2BGBDug2nU4DmONOk6Yi5ab4hUcHS8Ib6yytrtYD6Y7uMUQV1yuZO9SR0pH7eXp0%2FOdQLtJW%2FGEt6xn2LJ5JBCKJt9oT0zPJn9c7ec2IzqoDMmtAMqQdsgAEOske0XFLXIZGZmCqG0%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR4Tr18WcZg&pfm=1

John Held, Jr.
eBay item description

More can be found on Etsy. Here are four other designs, plus a "Kiss Me Quick" variant in red:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1896950577/vintage-john-held-jr-linen-cocktail

There's a seventh design, "Oh You Kid" (as in the popular 1909 song "I Love, I Love, I Love My Wife—But Oh! You Kid!") and further color variants of other designs:

https://estatesales.org/online-auctions/linen-cocktail-napkins-by-john-82303773

Cheers!

05060

Ed Arno: Nursing St. Bernards

A decade ago, eBay hosted Live Auctions. One could bid on individual lots from many of the smaller auction houses through the eBay platform. Apparently, the margins were too small to make it worth eBay's while, and the online service shut down Live Auctions giving only short notice. Today, this market is largely divided between Invaluable and Live Auctioneers.

A 1969 cartoon original by Ed Arno was sold by National Book Auctions late in 2016.

The subject was nursing St. Bernards—one could almost imagine the gag from those three words. It had been published in The New York Times.

Ed Arno's signature

Copyright notice

Ed Arno
eBay listing ended October 8, 2016

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-Ink-Drawing-ED-ARNO-Signed-Framed-New-Yorker-New-York-Times-Lot-8114-/201683868328?hash=item2ef54b9

aa8%3Ag%3AVfAAAOSwLnBX8wyl&nma=true&si=YQGb25QThn5Fxe78BW8tTy6VzZY%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Ed Arno
eBay item description

Ed Arno
eBay bid history
The lone bidder must bid against the auction house's reserve.

Note:  A little Ed Arno art serves to warm up one's insides. Readers are encouraged to submit examples to this blog.

05035

My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #941

The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #941 appeared in the issue of April 21, 2025. A piano is drinking too much wine at a bar. The bartender speaks to two men in business attire. My entry appears below. The drawing is by Feggo, a.k.a. Felipe Galindo.

"Before I serve him again, I want to hear some scales."

These captions weren't in tune:

"At least he isn't playing."
"His orchestra left him."
"He doesn't need to stay sober. He's a player piano."
"He's hammered."

 

May 3, 2025 Update:  The Finalists

May 9, 2025 Update:  I voted for the caption from Danvers.

May 25, 2025 Update:  The Winner

04921