Ludwig Bemelmans: A Girl on Horseback

An original spot drawing of a girl sitting on horseback by Madeline author and artist Ludwig Bemelmans was published in The New Yorker in May of 1961. The art was framed in-house, apparently, and became part of the collection of writers Neil and Susan Sheehan. As a writer for the magazine, Susan Sheehan must have had access to a very nice selection of original art. This piece was sold on May 15 by Second Story Books.

Ludwig Bemelmans
Framed original spot drawing
The New Yorker, May 13,1961, p. 161

Ludwig Bemelmans's initials

Ludwig Bemelmans
eBay listing ended May 15, 2026

https://www.ebay.com/itm/406928826275?itmmeta=01KRWEX85XX6Z4AP9QZ4ATTCHM&hash=item5ebed91fa3:g:zkgAAeSw12VqBzuq

Ludwig Bemelmans
eBay item description

It looked great in print, yet readers could easily have missed it in the back of the magazine sandwiched between columns of advertising.

Ludwig Bemelmans
The New Yorker, May 13,1961, p. 161

Ludwig Bemelmans
Original spot drawing
The New Yorker, May 13,1961, p. 161

With a spot drawing by Ludwig Bemelmans

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1961-05-13/flipbook/160/

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Ilonka Karasz: Spots of Two Couples

Two original spot drawings in ink by Ilonka Karasz were offered by Swann Auction Galleries in the December 4 sale of Illustration Art. Both, we are told, were published in The New Yorker circa 1925, its first year of publication. One depicts a couple floor dancing and the second shows a different couple outdoors walking. The lot, estimated at $800 to $1,200, did not find a buyer.

Ilonka Karasz
Swann Auction Galleries Illustration Art Sale of December 4, 2025

https://www.swanngalleries.com/auction-lot/_7264AE42E2

Ilonka Karasz
Swann Auction Galleries item description

Note:  The publication history has yet to be verified. Please get in touch if you have seen one or both of these spots by Ilonka Karasz in print.

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Susanne Suba: Typesetter

A spot drawing of a typesetter by Susanne Suba was sold at Swann Auction Galleries in the Illustration Art sale of June 17, 2025. It was published in 1948 in The New Yorker. The man's attention, and ours, is focused on his hands.

Susanne Suba
Swann Aucton Galleries Illustration Art sale of June 17, 2025

https://www.swanngalleries.com/auction-lot/_61E45A9AB3

This is how it looked in the magazine:

Susanne Suba
The New Yorker, March 20,1948, p. 105

Susanne Suba
Original art
The New Yorker, March 20,1948, p. 105

With a spot drawing by Susanne Suba

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1948-03-20/flipbook/104/

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Thomas Eastwood: Holiday Packages

An original New Yorker spot drawing by Thomas Eastwood depicts Christmas packages too numerous for a neighborhood mailbox to accomodate.

At one time, a price tag of $40 was affixed to the back of this art. In May on the eBay auction site, it was priced at $165 with a Best Offer option.

EBay does not disclose best offers, even when they are accepted.

Thomas Eastwood
eBay listing ended May 24, 2023

https://www.ebay.com/itm/30483312180?hash=item46fa13cc34%3Ag%3AYhkAAOSwOf5kE5xX&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4AUchOYHMAdl%2BRgFV8lGhhDiSp5PKgVlmTuJbm%2F9P33GAnpjOvnRghbGHD140kYJfZItpjAKNN4M9%2Bxu9qlrKiJgny7sCEa5AzPyma

QVorEGMsqq0jnsEKDPMHQ8uJ%2FGb86t2NaAjtC8zZSYRwJkN%2B03Imql9iU2J9GhZR7gG3wk%2FLRMWBIthO7%2F3ekI34o4La8HqX1e4zskYKRN1wooe%2F1WcR3W7AyVtdvaJTJjfoKxbnu5%2FJmUaMPy3b%2FZtgUPr2boR%2FccAuXHxG

%2FzKd6ocmILiHGENf9pfpxijdf9l9Mj%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9SUsKu8Yg&nma=true&si=WEtIFz5%252FkfY9UxP8WWeB%252FCaqeVQ%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Thomas Eastwood
eBay item description

The Eastwood spot is currently available from Curated Cartoons. The artwork has been rephotographed. Now the images are in sharp focus, revealing even the texture of the paper.

The verso includes a preliminary sketch of a tugboat.

The new listing helpfully includes the artwork's publication date, one of the more difficult pieces of information to track down with only the season and the era known. We now can appreciate that the art was published eighty-five years ago in the back pages of the magazine.

Thomas Eastwood
Curated Cartoons listing accessed December 7, 2023

https://www.curatedcartoons.com/collections/gold-era/products/holiday-mail-spot-illustration

Spot drawing by Thomas Eastwood

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1938-12-10/flipbook/138/

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Lászlo Roth: Five Spot Drawings

Lászlo Roth was one of many accomplished illustrators who provided spot drawings to The New Yorker. Five originals that were presumably published in the magazine have been framed under glass as a group. The set is from the collection of Ben Roth, the artist's grandson who has also sent along a published photograph of the designer.

Note:  My thanks to Ben Roth for contributing the wonderful images in today's post.

I would like to hear from anyone who can identify precisely when any of these spots were published. If it helps, the blog archives have a single New Yorker spot by Lászlo Roth which is known to have been published in 1978.

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