Whitney Darrow, Jr.: A Good Lesson for Eugene

A 1966 New Yorker cartoon original by Whitney Darrow, Jr., was sold at Heritage Auctions in February. It was from the collection of Irvin Greif, Jr. 

"But, Eugene, it's not enough to                              
be gifted. We've got to do something with our gift."
Original art
Whitney Darrow, Jr.
The New Yorker, November 19, 1966, p. 61

The setting is a suburban classroom, in what is in all likelihood a private school. The teacher wishes to impart an  important lesson to Eugene.

"But, Eugene, it's not enough to                              
be gifted. We've got to do something with our gift."
Framed and matted original art
Whitney Darrow, Jr.
The New Yorker, November 19, 1966, p. 61

It's a good lesson for Eugene. But he does seem skeptical.

"But, Eugene, it's not enough to                              
be gifted. We've got to do something with our gift."
Original art
Whitney Darrow, Jr.
The New Yorker, November 19, 1966, p. 61

On Bainbridge Board

The bidding opened at $1. Who could possibly resist? (But the buyer's premium did start at $49.)

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
Heritage Auctions listing of February 6, 2026, some 20 days before the sale

https://fineart.ha.com/itm/mainstream-illustration/whitney-darrow-jr-american-1909-1999-it-s-not-enough-to-be-gifted-new-yorker-cartoon-1966-charcoal-ink-and/a/15263-17110.s?ic10=ExpandedResults-Thumbnail-022817#

It was sold to an internet bidder:

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
Heritage Auctions item description

The original art is now toned. It looked great in the pages of The New Yorker:

"But, Eugene, it's not enough to                              
be gifted. We've got to do something with our gift."
Original art
Whitney Darrow, Jr.
The New Yorker, November 19, 1966, p. 61

"But, Eugene, it's not enough to                              
be gifted. We've got to do something with our gift."
Whitney Darrow, Jr.
The New Yorker, November 19, 1966, p. 61

With drawings by Al Ross and Whitney Darrow, Jr.

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1966-11-19/flipbook/060/

* * * 

On the facing page, Al Ross's more linear, unshaded style contrasts nicely with Darrow's. Ross comments on the Vietnam War. The speaker is not that many years older than Darrow's children.

"Did you ever realize that one of those little things will destroy everything within 
a half mile, regardless of race, creed, or color?"
Al Ross
The New Yorker, November 19, 1966, p. 60

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The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #109

I found my inner child for the Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #109. The drawing is by Robert Leighton. My three captions are posted below but the contest ended prematurely and a new contest was already up at the time I entered, making for some more than usually unfunny juxtapositions. That's what I get for waiting till the last minute.

"Her Dad's going to repeat the year."
"On the internet, they call him a genius."
"He calls himself the new kid on the blocks."

January 20, 2021 Update:  The Winner

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The Art of the Redraw: Sunflower Slow Drag by Whitney Darrow, Jr.

"And now for an encore, Scott Joplin's 'Sunflower Slow Drag'."
Whitney Darrow, Jr.
Redraw
The New Yorker, September 30, 1974, page 29
Published as "And now, for an encore, Scott Joplin's 'Sunflower Slow Drag.'"

Longtime contributor David from Manhattan writes with an interesting observation about an original cartoon by Whitney Darrow, Jr., currently listed on eBay:

Up on eBay is a nice Whitney Darrow cartoon: "And now for an encore, Scott Joplin's 'Sunflower Slow Drag'" with an inscription and tiny drawing. The cartoon was published [in The New Yorker of] Sept. 30, '74, but I was surprised to discover that the published version simply isn't as well drawn as the eBay offering. I can't believe Darrow thought the "final" version was his best effort. Is it possible he redrew the whole thing in '79, the date of the inscription? As you know, Darrow was pretty generous with his drawings in books, so I don't think it's completely absurd he would have gone to that trouble, especially if it was someone he knew. Anyway, I put that out there. The seller doesn't know the publication date.

Surely one could dedicate an entire blog to the things eBay sellers don't know. One would think a seller who could tell you that "Sunflower Slow Drag" was published in 1901 could just as easily google the full caption. But perhaps that's asking too much.

Darrow was indeed generous with his souvenir drawings. Even so, this redraw of a New Yorker cartoon in honor of the recipient Robin's birthday is awfully nice. Let's have another look.

Detail

Detail

Detail

Signature of Whitney Darrow, Jr.

Darrow must have deliberately omitted the comma after now, as published in the New Yorker. This improves the flow of the caption.

Caption

Inscription with drawing

The minuscule drawing is similar to the drawing by Darrow on the Nicholls Gallery poster seen in yesterday's post:

Drawing

Darrow's details remain remarkably clean and crisp:

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
eBay Listing Accessed June 30, 2020

https://www.ebay.com/itm/The-New-Yorker-Magazine-Cartoonist-Artist-Whitney-Darrow-Original-Art-Signed/124207575874?hash=item1ceb593342:g:vKoAAOSw7Rde1BRN

Whitney Darrow, Jr.
eBay Item Description

[End of eBay Listing]

So now let's compare the published New Yorker cartoon with this redraw found on eBay. Which do you prefer?

"And now for an encore, Scott Joplin's 'Sunflower Slow Drag'."
Whitney Darrow, Jr.
Redraw
The New Yorker, September 30, 1974, page 29
Published as "And now, for an encore, Scott Joplin's 'Sunflower Slow Drag.'"

Spot drawing by Henry Martin and cartoon by Whitney Darrow, Jr.

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1974-09-30/flipbook/028/

What should we make of this? Actually, it's not at all unheard of for an artist's redraw of a New Yorker cartoon to be more pleasing than the original. Why should that be? For one thing, the published version might have been drawn hastily under pressure of a deadline or the onus of certain editorial demands. Redraws, on the other hand, may be done at leisure for collectors who missed out on the original or for friends. The artist has the opportunity to rethink the work without concerns for the needs of the printer or the editors; the sole purpose is to please the recipient. A redraw which is better-drawn than the original is a worthy consolation prize for the recipient who cannot have the published original. It might also give the artist a chance to prove that he can produce better work without the demands of his editors.

Sunflower Slow Drag (1901)

by Scott Joplin and Scott Hayden

Piano Roll

At the time of posting, the Darrow redraw remains available on eBay.

December 18, 2021 Update:  Sold!

Note:  This is a topic which I'm hoping to elaborate on in a few posts with the heading The Art of the Redraw. Readers are invited to submit examples of redrawn cartoons that can be said to outdo in some way the published originals.

I've visited this topic before, as it turns out. Follow the aqua links for examples by Frank Modell, Liza Donnelly, and E. H. Shepard. Modell upped his drawing game while Donnelly and Shepard added vibrant color to their redraws.

My gratitude to David from Manhattan for bringing this eBay auction to my attention and doing all the research. This is his thirty-eighth contribution to Attempted Bloggery.

Spot drawing
Henry Martin

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Whitney Darrow, Jr.

Henry Martin (1925-2020)

Pianos

Redraws

Attempted Bloggery's Mushrooming Index

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Reamer Keller in College Humor, March 1939

Cartoonist Reamer Keller published two gags in the March 1939 issue of College Humor. The first is set in a classroom and is a joke about the cliche of giving an apple to the teacher. Written on the chalk board is puss and the rhyme schus, a reference to College Humor cartoonist Adolph Schus. On the other side of the dunce cap are the words pin, bin, and linn. Linn must be a name; possibly it is a reference to cartoonist Bandel Linn, but was he on College Humor's cartooning roster at the time?

"Only 23 apples! Who's absent today?"
Reamer Keller
College Humor, Volume 9, No. 3, March 1939, page 23

The second cartoon shows a sultan playing favorites:

"You're holding a few of my wives for shoplifting—I'd like to bail out the tall blonde."

Reamer Keller
College Humor, Volume 9, No. 3, March 1939, page 40

Note:  The March 1939 issue of College Humor referenced above is one of more than 5,600 magazines in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection at Columbia University. I photographed these two cartoons and quite a few others in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library on March 10, 2016. The Butler Library opened in 1934 just five years before this issue of College Humor that it now holds was published. In addition to the Boss collection, the Butler Library houses a couple of million other volumes. It is currently closed until further notice, but when it does reopen Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green can give members of the general public access to the collection if they bring her an apple.

Attempted Bloggery seeks additional published work by Reamer Keller, from College Humor and elsewhere. Today I'm sharing the final College Humor Keller cartoons I was able to photograph at the RBML. Fortunately I still have work by a few other cartoonists to share.

I'd like to have some sort of corroboration regarding Keller's reference to Linn or to hear alternative possibilities.


External Links:

Reamer Keller's Wikipedia Entry

Reamer Keller on Lambiek Comiclopedia

Stripper's Guide:  "Reamer Keller, Portsmouth Gift To The Pen-And-Ink Brigade, Tells How" by Wayne Paulson (Portsmouth Times, October 24, 1937)

Daily Reamer

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Reamer Keller

Adolph Schus

College Humor

Attempted Bloggery's Primary School Index

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