William Hamilton: Advice to a Revolutionary

An original New Yorker cartoon by William Hamilton was sold on eBay in January, fifty-four years after its publication. A family is seen seated at the dinner table:

"But, darling, many very successful young revolutionaries—our own

Thomas Jefferson among them—dressed for dinner."

William Hamilton

Original art

The New Yorker, January 9, 1971, p. 31

Hamilton handles all the details of upper class life exquisitely. 

"But, darling, many very successful young revolutionaries—our own

Thomas Jefferson among them—dressed for dinner."

William Hamilton

Original art

The New Yorker, January 9, 1971, p. 31

Verso

Verso detail

"But, darling, many very successful young revolutionaries—our own

Thomas Jefferson among them—dressed for dinner."

William Hamilton

The New Yorker, January 9, 1971, p. 31

"But, darling, many very successful young revolutionaries—our own

Thomas Jefferson among them—dressed for dinner."

William Hamilton

The New Yorker, January 9, 1971, p. 31

William Hamilton
eBay listing ended January 31, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/267139718384?_skw=William+Hamilton+Yorker&itmmeta=01JR6D9P0V00W247BMWA2DYPT2&hash=item3e32c49cf0:g:LV8AAOSwpYJngCgH&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA8FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1do4E6zW155wuJruJVA%2FKrng3cx506%2B1m6ADGfrMTTyfX5dkw%2BBuLayvccVhBTGO0PAIrmL6dOliX9qh2607FkHdg8T6knPB

LfbCd%2BdZwqBdEca0HRA3ULZapixYuTvtiVVX81PNn4lkiZn%2FPINMUYXaSx02TrK9gYyYxneqWamdNRq8x4e6rIMH6xKTDz08KLbKUZd%2BkXaHnD7l43l8wiMmrH1oy8pEY7zuRkn%2BQ6TzXcYrvpgz%2Fm5%2Fs%2B0NNESMdlGaggFXp9JxrqJd56L9AQywc4GXCLmht8QVLTb%2FWjL9A%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR8Tgps3BZQ

William Hamilton
eBay item description

[End of eBay listing]

"But, darling, many very successful

young revolutionaries—our own

Thomas Jefferson among them—

dressed for dinner."

William Hamilton

The New Yorker, January 9, 1971, p. 31

"But, darling, many very successful

young revolutionaries—our own

Thomas Jefferson among them—

dressed for dinner."

William Hamilton

Original art

The New Yorker, January 9, 1971, p. 31

With cartoons by Smilby and William Hamilton

https://archives.newyorker.com/newyorker/1971-01-09/flipbook/030/

Smilby, by the way, was the pen name of Francis Wilford-Smith (1927-2009). Tax day falls on April 15, but cartoons about contentious audits are good year round.

Smilby

The New Yorker, January 9, 1971, p. 30

04915

James Stevenson's Windfall

Two original cartoons by the late James Stevenson (1929-2017) were shown at the Westport Historical Society on April 25, 2014 in conjunction with the exhibition "Cover Story: The New Yorker in Westport." The first refers to the Windfall Profits Tax which was enacted in 1980 but much discussed during the previous year as a result of the oil shock. This tax was a response to the abrupt spike in oil prices brought about by the OPEC oil embargo in 1979 and the resulting increase in revenues to oil producers. The idea was to collect more taxes from oil producers based on their supposed increased profits from the sale of crude oil. That idea from the Carter years is the basis for the corporate banter in Mr. Stevenson's original cartoon art. 

Note the atmospheric effect of the artist's delicate use of wash. The light source is on the right and behind the two main figures, an unusual choice which results in both men having their faces largely in shadow.

"I say 'Give me a windfall and I'll talk windfall tax.' What do you say, Harry?"
James Stevenson
Original art
The New Yorker, May 28, 1979, page 29

"I say 'Give me a windfall and I'll talk windfall tax.' What do you say, Harry?"

James Stevenson
The New Yorker, May 28, 1979, page 29

"I say 'Give me a windfall and I'll talk windfall tax.' What do you say, Harry?"

James Stevenson
The New Yorker, May 28, 1979, page 29

Note:  With the passing of cartoonist James Stevenson (1929-2017), Attempted Bloggery would like to hear from anyone with original artwork, photos, or signed books that shed light on this essential New Yorker artist.

Quick Links to Attempted Bloggery's Taxing Archives
James Stevenson (1929-2017)
Original New Yorker Cartoon Art
Westport Historical Society

Taxes

02108

George Price Rolls His Own

Original artwork for an early George Price cartoon mocks one man's obsessive attempt to avoid the cigarette tax. He's rolling his own tobacco but making a mess of it, and thereby putting his emotional well-being on the line. The women are drawn with upright posture and sober expressions; their concern is evident. In contrast, the man is not upright in posture but leaning in toward his obsession; his clothes are disheveled, his demeanor is agitated, and even his newly-minted cigarettes are grotesquely misshapen.

George Price, "He may save the cigarette tax, but he's heading for a nervous breakdown."

Price's composition serves the gag extremely well. We are observing this scene from above, which gives us an excellent view of the chaos on the tabletop. The vanishing point is high and to the right, providing strong diagonals from the upper right into the area where the comedy is taking place. The standing woman's folded arms and the seated woman's extended arm form lines from the vanishing point toward the frustrated man. Probably no other artist would include a second lamp, this one unplugged, and a pile of books on the unused chairs. Note how the lines of this tapered lampshade, the tablecloth, and the topmost books all direct the eye back toward the seated man. Also note, however, that the standing woman directs her gaze not toward her husband but back towards her companion. Therefore, in reading the reactions, we go from the wife to the visitor to the husband to the cigarettes, making a sort of Z or zigzag. And that, my friends, is how a master composes a cartoon.

http://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/price,-george-331-c-jx456uy62p

Note:  Additional George Price posts may be seen here.

01056

Tax Day

In the United States, federal income tax needs to be filed by tomorrow, April 15. Back in 1937 when this New Yorker cover by Constantin Alajálov was published, the income tax was due on March 15. As you can see, at the time people were as conflicted as they are today about having to pay it.

Constantin Alajálov
The New Yorker, March 13, 1937

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-New-Yorker-Original-Issue-of-March-13-1937-Cover-Art-by-Alajalov-/271134129820?pt=Magazines&hash=item3f20da7e9c&nma=true&si=VJo29%252F7WbHpl1SY9gWmnl4%252FkT80%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

0691

Koren Considerations

This piece of original advertising illustration art by Edward Koren is entitled What to Consider Before Wading into Tax-Free Municipals. It is already matted and was sold on eBay with the Buy It Now for less than $100, shipping included. A steal!

Edward Koren, What to Consider Before Wading into Tax-Free Municipals

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&item=120896534921&nma=true&rt=nc&si=Zv4PhLp6HocGRC23iqci2JeQ2LI%253D&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_500wt_1413

Edward Koren, What to Consider Before Wading into Tax-Free Municipals, matted

Edward Koren, What to Consider Before Wading into Tax-Free Municipals, matted

Edward Koren, What to Consider Before Wading into Tax-Free Municipals
EBay Winning Bid with Buy It Now

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&item=120896534921&nma=true&rt=nc&si=Zv4PhLp6HocGRC23iqci2JeQ2LI%253D&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_500wt_1413

Edward Koren, What to Consider Before Wading into Tax-Free Municipals
EBay Item Description

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&item=120896534921&nma=true&rt=nc&si=Zv4PhLp6HocGRC23iqci2JeQ2LI%253D&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_500wt_1413

Edward Koren, What to Consider Before Wading into Tax-Free Municipals

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&_trksid=p4340.l2557&item=120896534921&nma=true&rt=nc&si=Zv4PhLp6HocGRC23iqci2JeQ2LI%253D&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc#ht_500wt_1413

Note:  My previous post on artist Edward Koren includes a drawing recently added to my own collection and can be found here.

0377

Wabbit Season? Duck Season? No, Tax Season!

Bob Knox's New Yorker cover from 23 years ago captured the spirit of the American tax season and its annual rite of federal tax preparation. It featured the amusing pairing of an abacus with a collage of impenetrable tax forms. Just after this cover appeared, around 1990, electronic filing was introduced. Now nearly 80% of tax returns use IRS e-filing, or almost 100 million last year. The printed 1040 form is no longer mailed to households and is fast becoming obsolete.

Bob Knox, The New Yorker, April 17, 1989

0306