Jean-Michel Folon at "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration"

Jean-Michel Folon shows us his keen sense of direction on the cover of the December 3, 1966, New Yorker. The original art is being exhibited at the Society of Illustrators, part of "Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration." The show is curated by Liza Donnelly. People who would like to see original New Yorker art of this outstanding quality should head over to the show by March 12, after which it will be downsized.

Jean-Michel Folon
Original art
The New Yorker, December 3, 1966

Jean-Michel Folon
The New Yorker, December 3, 1966

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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #829

I needed some direction for The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #829 from the issue of November 28, 2022. My classy caption is shown below. The drawing is by Lonnie Millsap.

"Everywhere you look, there's porn."

These captions were just too rigid:

"As if we can't read..."
"Oh, good. We can go back to slithering."
"They're becoming more inclusive."
"You can thank universal access."

December 10, 2022 Update:  The Finalists

December 12, 2022 Update:  For my vote, I went with the caption from Austin.

 

January 1, 2023 Update:  The Winner

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Views of Arizona: Stating the Obvious

You will seldom go wrong if you assume that a great many people lack common sense. This sign, which one might suppose should be unnecessary, was posted in the Village area of the Grand Canyon.

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Views of Arizona: Signs of the Political Times

Last week my travels took me to Arizona. This week I'll show some of the photos I took while there.

Arizona is a red state with midterm political primaries coming up on August 28, 2018. Senate candidate Joe Arpaio is a former sheriff who has been convicted of criminal contempt for his racial profiling. He was, of course, granted a pardon by President Trump. Kate Brophy McGee is one of the current Senators from Arizona. Rodney Glassman is a former Democrat running as a Republican for the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Political placards
East Camelback Road, Scottsdale

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William Von Riegen in College Humor, August 1937

A cartoon by William Von Riegen from the August 1937 issue of College Humor imagines just what can happen when signs are interpreted a little too earnestly.

"I'm going to be married."
William Von Riegen
College Humor, Vol. 5, No. 4, August 1937, page 61

Scanned by Dick Buchanan

Note:  My thanks to Dick Buchanan for putting his superb scanning skills to work for the greater good. He contributes regularly to Mike Lynch Cartoons, most recently a fine piece on Orlando Busino.

Information please? Industrious readers who would like to contribute scans or photos of published rarities or original art by William Von Riegen are welcome. Me, I can barely turn my scanner on.

Biographical notes on the artist from artprice.com may be found here.

Von Riegen's figure drawings from Gene Byrnes's Complete Guide to Cartooning may be seen here.

A very brief biographical line on Von Riegen appears on the The New Yorker Cartoonists A-Z of Ink Spill.


Quick Links to Attempted Bloggery's Archives

William Von Riegen

College Humor

Dick Buchanan

Attempted Bloggery's Informative Index

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Country Signs of Autumn: Barbara Shermund Proposed New Yorker Cover Art

Tourists flock to the country every autumn to experience the abundance of fall colors. Barbara Shermund's undated cover proposal for the New Yorker celebrates these colors and some of the signs that await tourists in their travels. But these are not your ordinary country road signs; instead they seem to have multiplied out of control. No fewer than three different signs welcome tourists, and written labels have been applied by the artist to just about everything in sight. The resulting artwork is sumptuous but very busy indeed—perhaps a bit too unfocused for use by the editors of the New Yorker.

Barbara Shermund proposed New Yorker cover art

Barbara Shermund
James Cummins, Bookseller
Listing as of July 16, 2017

https://www.jamescumminsbookseller.com/pages/books/12776/barbara-shermund/fine-pencil-ink-and-watercolor-design-for-a-new-yorker-cover

January 7, 2019 Update:  The price is higher on eBay but it remains the same on the bookseller's website.

Note:  Attempted Bloggery is a blog for all seasons. I seek scans or photos of high-quality original art by Barbara Shermund and other New Yorker artists. I'm also looking for proposed cover art like this that didn't quite make the cut. Think of me winter, spring, summer, or fall.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Barbara Shermund

Proposed New Yorker Cover Art

Signs

Autumn

Attempted Bloggery's Fallen Index

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Ireland: A Few Last Words

Here are a few last words—and names—from my trip to Ireland in July.

James Joyce, but not the one you were thinking of
Clifden, County Galway

Road sign in Tubbercurry pointing the way to Ballinacarrow

Insomnia coffee shop, Dublin

The cafe you've been looking for—and we are glad we found it!
Brother Hubbard, Dublin

Molesworth Street, Dublin
(Fans of Nigel take note.)

Queen of Tarts, Dublin  

Note:  This concludes my travel photos from Ireland. Would you like to see my pictures from Cape Cod in August too?

Attempted Bloggery's quick links:

Ireland

Dublin

James Joyce

Labor Day

Attempted Bloggery's wordy index

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A Sign of Halloween

I spotted a couple of copies of this sign at work. This is a rare opportunity to share a Halloween pun.

Note:  There are a lot more blog posts here about Halloween.

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I Saw the Sign

For some reason every express checkout lane in New York seems to say "10 items or less." Less refers of course to an amount and fewer refers to a number, so it's disheartening to see it done wrong so often and apparently so willfully. On the other hand, it's so refreshing to go up to Cape Cod and to see what happens when people still care about the language. The express lane sign reads "10 items or fewer." I took a picture just in case no one back home believed what I saw.

Checkout lane 7, Shaw's, Orleans

Note:  Don't miss Cape Cod as you've never seen it.

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A Sign of the Weekly Grind on Main Street

This sign was spotted at the cash register of Carmine's on Main Street in Chatham. I was on vacation at the time, but in the pizzeria it was just another workday.

Cash register sign, Carmine's, Chatham

Note:  Photos from my summer vacation in Cape Cod have been abounding lately.

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