One of my less enviable tasks on this blog is to document the low prices for which some original New Yorker art sells on the auction market. My position, of course, is that a New Yorker original—any original—represents an extraordinary achievement. Of the thousand or more gag cartoon submissions the magazine receives each week from professional and amateur cartoonists alike, perhaps one or two dozen appear in each issue. The issue of September 8, 1975, for example, in which Warren Miller's uncaptioned cartoon of a crossroad was published, contained only seventeen cartoons in total. Miller's cartoon, framed and matted, sold on eBay last month for only $24.99.
 |
Warren Miller
The New Yorker, September 8, 1975, page 43 |
Such low selling prices can be attributed in part to a general lack of appreciation. Humor in the arts tends to be undervalued; academic scrutiny, for example, is largely reserved for more serious subjects. The single-panel gag cartoon is especially poorly-appreciated. It has disappeared from practically every publication other than The New Yorker. Even among that magazine's readers, many don't think or care all that much about cartoons that appeared prior the current issue. The public may still esteem the work of Charles Addams, and rightly so, but how many have even heard of W. Miller?
 |
Detail of Miller's Crossing
|
Yet much of the reason for the poor showing of the Miller cartoon on eBay has absolutely nothing to do with Miller, his cartoon, the public, or institutions of higher learning. The eBay seller has failed to describe his item accurately. He did look up that W. Miller's first name is Warren, a good start, but Miller is described as a New York cartoonist, and that is simply the wrong magazine. Those searching for New Yorker work on eBay would have a very hard time finding this. The eBay seller clearly has no idea whether this gag cartoon was ever published and, to be fair, there is no caption to Google.
 |
Warren Miller's signature
|
After publishing this post earlier today, a friend who enjoys proving others wrong wrote to point out that the halftone seen in the images above has an offset printing dot pattern, which would indicate this is an inexpensively-produced print rather than an original. It's not always so easy to tell a print from an original in a photo, although the caption can often be a giveaway. This cartoon, as already mentioned, doesn't have a printed caption and the eBay seller described it as a "Small Original Warren Miller Cartoon," which it now seems not to be. So this probably wasn't the right day to get on my high horse about prices. For a framed print, the $24.99 price is just fine, thank you. I could still say a thing or two about print quality but I'll save it for another day.
 |
Warren Miller
eBay listing ended August 19, 2020
|
 |
Warren Miller
eBay item description |
 |
Warren Miller
eBay bid history
One bid in the final hour |
 |
| [End of eBay listing] |
 |
Warren Miller
The New Yorker, September 8, 1975
Page 43 |
 |
Spot drawing by R. MacM. (Robert MacMillan) and cartoon by Warren Miller
|
 |
Spot drawing
R. MacM (probably Robert MacMillan) |
Note: My thanks to cartoonist and author Michael Maslin for identifiying New Yorker writer Robert MacMillan as the probable spot artist. I am not at all familiar with MacMillan's art and would like to hear from readers who know of other examples.
Thanks also to the friend who spotted that this small work is actually a print.
Images of true original art by Warren Miller are still in demand here on the blog.
03393
