Coca-Cola is Better

A vintage 1908 advertising tin serving tray asserts that "Coca-Cola is Better," and provides an image that leaves no doubt it's true.

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/western-coca-cola-bottling-co-topless-tray-884-c-9b04e049f7

Three examples of this tray
The present lot is the top example.

https://www.invaluable.com/catalog/searchLots.cfm?scp=p&catalogRef=&shw=50&ord=0&img=0&olF=1&houseRef=&houseLetter=A&artistRef=&aID=0&areaID=&countryID=&regionID=&stateID=&fdt=&tdt=&fr=0&to=0&wa=Coca-Cola%20topless%20tin%20tray&wp=&wo=&nw=&upcoming=0&rp=&hi=1&rem=FALSE&ns=0&isSC=0&row=1&isBIN=0&isAdvanced=1

Note:  The clothing-optional days on Attempted Bloggery have been extended, although with less extreme heat it hardly seems necessary. Enjoy the relaxed atmosphere while you can. Come Labor Day, all visitors to the blog once again will be expected to wear a proper dinner jacket or evening dress. And please, no white after Labor Day. We have to maintain standards here.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Advertising

Coca-Cola

Nudes

Attempted Bloggery's Better Index

02654

My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #627

Let me show you to my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #627 for August 20, 2018. The drawing is by P. C. Vey.

"They're not menus—they're waivers."

These captions wouldn't serve:

"If you need anything, just stomp your feet."
"I'm afraid your dinner hasn't landed yet."
"This is the best I can do without a reservation."
"No, I do not have a table with a better view."
"We're not responsible for undercooked food or high winds."
"We're not responsible for undercooked food or earthquakes."
"Perhaps you don't remember the last tip you left."

August 27, 2018 Update:  The Finalists

September 3, 2018 Update:  I voted for the first caption.


September 10, 2018 Update:  Winning Caption

Note:  Last week, cartoonist Harry Bliss's horse threw its rider. Hilarity ensued. Fasten your seat belt for Contest #626.

From the blog archives, here's a P. C. Vey tasting menu.

02653

Morny Fine Quality Bath Soaps

A full page ad for Morny bath soaps dating from 1940 demonstrates how to sell soap to New Yorker readers: make sure the temperature is just right.

Morny Fine Quality Bath Soaps
The New Yorker, November 9, 1940, page 63

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1940-11-09#folio=062

Note:  Clothing, you may recall, is optional this week on Attempted Bloggery. Strip down to help combat global warming.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Advertising

Bathtubs

Nudes

Attempted Bloggery's Tepid Index

02652

Amazon Slashes

Let me get a quick headcount: Has anyone been clamoring for a monumental New Yorker cartoon collection organized by topic? The Cartoon Bank published enough single-subject collections to exhaust the general demand for them years ago. But now a single vast collection organized into more than 250 cartoon tropes is on the near horizon.

The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons is to be published this fall as a two-volume, hardcover, slipcased edition priced at an easy-to-remember $100. With nearly 3,000 cartoons, that comes out to about 3 1/3 cents per cartoon. In contrast, the current August 20, 2018 issue of the New Yorker contains a piddling nine cartoons and costs $8.99. I don't need my calculator to tell you that's a buck a cartoon, with the articles and ads thrown in gratis. So even at full price, one can make the case that the big new book is a good deal for New Yorker cartoon fans. (Spoiler alert: I'm a New Yorker cartoon fan.) For those who insist on spending more, there will also be an $800 deluxe limited edition which includes signed and numbered prints by Bob Mankoff (the book's editor and the New Yorker's former cartoon editor), Bruce Eric Kaplan, and Roz Chast. It will have an edition size of 1000. That comes to about 3 1/3 cents per cartoon plus $233 per signed print. It also comes out to a projected $800,000 in sales for the deluxe edition alone.

"...from 1924 to the present." I'd pay good money to see those 1924 cartoons!
(The New Yorker's first issue was published on February 21, 1925.)
The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons deluxe edition
Amazon.com
Retrieved August 17, 2018

https://www.amazon.com/New-Yorker-Encyclopedia-Cartoons-Deluxe/dp/0316436666/ref=pd_rhf_dp_p_img_7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0F096VV43668EY8AJ0SM

It's a beautiful set, to be sure, with seemingly high production values of the sort we New Yorker acolytes haven't been treated to in a while. New Yorker cartoon collections used to be joyous affairs, published as sturdy hardcovers with well-designed, often gorgeous dust jackets meant to be treasured in personal libraries for a lifetime. Of late, the New Yorker has been systematically cheapening the cartoon collections it publishes, putting out annual collections and even the milestone 90th anniversary collection as a series of "bookazines." For those who don't know, bookazines are apparently printed on the same presses which publish magazines, but they pretend to be books even as they are sold on magazine racks. They look like throwaways and lack the substantive heft of a book. Then last year no annual collection was published, period.

So, having engineered its own drought of meaningful cartoon collections, the New Yorker is now at long last trying to produce something that will look impressive on a bookshelf. At this point, The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons is the only game in town. But who exactly is it meant for?

The book's title is pretentious, of course, even for Mr. Mankoff. Maurice Horn's World Encyclopedia of Comics (1976) is an informative book worthy of calling itself an encyclopedia. The New Yorker's Encyclopedia basically is just a lengthy list of cartoon tropes supplemented with a few paragraphs of amusing verbiage and copiously illustrated with what should be many, many fine cartoons. Of course, I haven't seen the book, let alone read it, but I don't see why that should stop me from being the first to review it. I'm sure it will be extremely entertaining, at least in part, but it is never going to be the quintessential reference on desert island cartoons it pretends to be.

This book's raison d'être is simple: it will be vigorously marketed as an essential holiday gift for fans of the New Yorker cartoon, and there are millions of us. Should we pay full price? Of course not. As a matter of principle, you should wait for a discount unless you can get a couple of New Yorker cartoonists to sign your copy and add maybe a doodle or two. You can always pay full price for a gift if you need to, but probably not for yourself. The price is bound to come down eventually, and sooner rather than later.

But, wait! On August 1, Michael Maslin's Ink Spill blog announced to the world of New Yorker cartoonists and their fans that the prepublication price of The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons had been drastically reduced on Amazon to $55.23.

Ink Spill
August 1, 2018

http://michaelmaslin.com/chast-in-vermont-interview-of-interest-carolita-johnson-radio-interview-of-interest-liza-donnelly-thurbers-125th-birthday-fables-price-slashed-on-new-yorker-encyclopedia-of-cartoons/

That's great news, right? It's finally time to pounce! The one possible caveat here is that seemingly the exact same book is listed on Amazon with two separate publication dates and two very different prices. What gives? Could it be a mistake? Surely not on Amazon!

The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons
Amazon.com Screenshot Retrieved August 4, 2018

Well, I decided not to take any chances. I placed my order pronto—that very day—locking in the savings. I had a forgotten $50 Amazon gift card (forgotten by me, not by Amazon) and I signed up for an Amazon Store card to receive a $10 bonus, so my copy of the book was already paid for. By the way, the discounted price of $55.23 divided by 3,000 cartoons comes to a mere 1.8 cents per cartoon. Now that's an insanely good deal. And shipping is free.

Amazon kept me in the loop. On August 15, Amazon informed me of the estimated arrival date:



Not too shabby! But twenty-four hours later, the email bots at Amazon changed their tune:

Thus my adroit order was abruptly canceled for an obviously spurious reason and I was redirected back to the $100 full-price copy of the book. The now unavailable edition once priced at $55.23 remains a ghostly presence on the Amazon site.

The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons
Amazon.com Screenshot Retrieved August 17, 2018

September 24, 2018 Update: Even before release, the book has been discounted again, this time to $61.33.

The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons
Amazon.com screenshot retrieved September 24, 2018

November 30, 2018 Update:  The book has been discounted to well below the price at which I initially was denied a copy. The deluxe edition is also significantly reduced. Was this the plan all along? I doubt it.

The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons
Amazon.com screenshot retrieved November 30, 2018

December 1, 2018 Update:  The price of the regular edition dropped again overnight. 

The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons
Amazon.com screenshot retrieved December 1, 2018

December 2, 2018 Update:  And now the price of the deluxe edition has dropped again. Judging by this and the price of the regular edition, some algorithm is at work determining the price.

The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons
Amazon.com screenshot retrieved December 2, 2018

May 22, 2019 Update:  I bought my copy today for $43.99. It's not the lowest price ever, but it's more than a $10 discount from the offer Amazon refused to honor. This comes to 1.47 cents per cartoon.

Note:  Long before I tried to buy the Encyclopedia, I set myself a target price of $65, although I happily would pay full price for a copy signed by multiple cartoonists. As part of the promotion, I expect Bob Mankoff to be signing a great many copies of this book as he has with other books in the past. I might very well spring for a full-priced copy signed by him, but I'm wary that he might try to sign the entire press run.

I have no plans to purchase the deluxe edition, but I might if it were to come down to about $265, which I don't expect it to. Nevertheless, once it is published, I would be delighted if an owner would send me photos or scans of the three lithographs for inclusion on this blog.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Bob Mankoff

David Remnick

Roz Chast

Attempted Bloggery's Disappointing Index

02651

Rowland B. Wilson: Nude in a Sunbonnet

A souvenir sketch by Rowland B. Wilson dated April 1, 1985 shows a reclining nude woman wearing an elaborate sunbonnet. It was likely done for a fan of Wilson's Playboy cartoons. It has been available on AbeBooks for $200 since August of 2015. The sunbonnet is the most interesting element of the composition, or at least it will be when you reach my age.

Rowland B. Wilson
Nude

Rowland B. Wilson
AbeBooks Listing Retrieved March 4, 2018

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=16873122715&searchurl=kn%3DEsquire%2Bcartoon%26sortby%3D1&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-image13

Note:  Attempted Bloggery has gone clothing-optional this week, all week. And may I say you look fabulous!

At press time—post time?—this drawing is still available on AbeBooks. Take a look; there's no cover charge.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Rowland B. Wilson

Souvenir Drawings


Nudes

Attempted Bloggery's Overdressed Index

02650

Howard Baer: A Nudist at Heart

Howard Baer's drawing of an older and overweight gentleman bedecked with a walrus mustache, top hat, and tails shows him waiting for a young Miss Harkness to finish dressing. The cartoon is boldly and beautifully drawn, yet more memorable for what it suggests than for what it actually shows. This technique of using the caption to allude to something bawdy taking place outside of the field of view was frequently used by cartoonist E. Simms Campbell in his own Esquire work. Campbell, himself prodigious in his output, was known to produce numerous gag ideas for other cartoonists as well, so it is an entirely plausible conjecture that he could be behind this gag.

"Oh don't mind me, Miss Harkness, I'm a nudist at heart[.]"
Howard Baer
Esquire, February 1937, page 135

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/1937-ESQUIRE-MAGAZINE-Comic-Art-Page-Oh-don-t-mind-me-Miss-Harkness-I-m/163023293146?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D20180124145912%26meid%3Dcd57dd1ccd364070b3e6c033ff5c6632%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D3%26sd%3D163023293152%26itm%3D163023293146&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

Note:  This week is strictly clothing-optional here on Attempted Bloggery. Wearing spats while reading the blog is therefore totally unnecessary.

One source for the notion that E. Simms Campbell provided numerous gags for other Esquire cartoonists may be seen here.

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives: 

Howard Baer


E. Simms Campbell

Nudism

Attempted Bloggery's Dressed-to-the-Nines Index

02649

E. Simms Campbell: Not Painting Me

Yesterday we saw an example of how cartoonist E. Simms Campbell was able to suggest "offstage" sexual activity merely by showing us the calm reaction to it of another character, in that case a young woman's well-to-do father surreptitiously observing from upstairs. A 1940 Esquire cartoon ups the ante on this type of suggestive gag by showing us a female nude posing in an artist's studio. The model is clearly alarmed at what she sees that we can't. The caption sets up a sort of negative riddle—describing only what's not going on—readily solved by the reader. No doubt this is one of the magazine's more risqué cartoons, but it's all in the power of the suggestion.

"Why, Mr. DeMunson!  You're not painting me at all!"
E. Simms Campbell
Esquire, 1940, page 56

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1940-Original-Vintage-E-Simms-Campbell-Nude-Woman-Sketch-Illustration/323146331715?hash=item4b3d05b643:g:ryQAAOSw5ipaqJxL

Note:  It's a clothing-optional week here on Attempted Bloggery. Dinner jacket and evening dress are not required.

Yes, the year was 1940. Does anyone know the specific month of this issue of Esquire?


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives: 

E. Simms Campbell

Nudes

Arizona

Attempted Bloggery's Misbehaving Index

02648

Gilbert Bundy and E. Simms Campbell Back to Back in Esquire, April 1937

Esquire's April 1937 issue offers a cheeky color cartoon by Gilbert Bundy. Does Mr. Hartman have any idea what he's being offered? It would appear so.

"Why don't you come over here, Mr. Hartman—then I won't have to bother about getting dressed[?]"
Gilbert BundyEsquire, April 1937, page 70

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/1937-ESQUIRE-MAGAZINE-Comic-Page-Why-don-t-you-come-over-here-Mr-Hartman/163028012254?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40971%26meid%3D4c83fbe57c6b40359ec52244ca8d2af2%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D7%26sd%3D163028012270%26itm%3D163028012254&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

That cartoon was immediately preceded by a color cartoon from E. Simms Campbell on the opposite side of the page. Campbell is very skilled at alluding to what his characters directly can observe but which we, the readers, can only imagine. On that score, this cartoon of a father tallying his daughter's assets might just be one of his best: 

"M–m–m—so it isn't daughter's money he's after at all[.]"
E. Simms Campbell
Esquire, April 1937, page 69

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/1937-ESQUIRE-MAGAZINE-Comic-Page-Why-don-t-you-come-over-here-Mr-Hartman/163028012254?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40971%26meid%3D4c83fbe57c6b40359ec52244ca8d2af2%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D7%26sd%3D163028012270%26itm%3D163028012254&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

Note:  It's the hottest La Niña year yet. As a public service to readers during this hot summer, Attempted Bloggery is relaxing its usual dress code to allow clothing-optional blog viewing. The usual formalwear requirement is waived for the duration.


Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Gilbert Bundy

E. Simms Campbell

Esquire

My Views of Arizona

Attempted Bloggery's Overdressed Index

02647

My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #626

Grab the reins and hold onto my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #626 for August 6 and 13, 2018. The drawing is by Harry Bliss.

"Actually, this IS my first rodeo!"

This one lacked horsepower:

"Stop! You're killing me!"

August 20, 2018 Update:  The Finalists

August 27, 2018 Update:  I voted for the third caption, although I thought it could use an exclamation point. 

September 3, 2018 Update:  Winning Caption

Note:  Last time, cartoonist John Klossner sent a caveman into the batter's box. My caption was caught looking. Check out the box score on Contest #625.

Check out the old blog posts about Harry Bliss and count how many times he got back in the saddle.

02946

Kovarsky Scarf

Last week, I received an e-mail from Rachel Pero, an avid fan of New Yorker cartoonist Anatol Kovarsky. She shared a couple of photos of her delightful silk scarf designed by the artist some six decades ago. It measures approximately 30" x 30” and is a fashion accessory I never dreamed existed. The scarf is a vibrant depiction of apartment life in the big city, with bold red and yellow colors.

Anatol Kovarsky
Rear Window
Scarf design for Richard Farrar

Photograph courtesy of Rachel Pero

Farrar by Kovarsky

Photograph courtesy of Rachel Pero

A quick internet search revealed another Kovarsky scarf design, this one posted by Atlanta illustrator Laura Coyle, which shows a family watching TV as observed through a window. Surrounding vignettes
depict all the available programs.

Naturally wishing to know more about these scarves, I contacted the artist's daughter, Gina Kovarsky. She wrote back:

Indeed, my father was commissioned in the mid-fifties by Richard Farrar to create several designs for silk scarves that were printed in several color schemes. Two of the designs are for large scarves full of amusing details. The one Rachel has (called "Rear Window," I assume thus named because of the similarity with Hitchcock's film) was also done in blue, in mustard yellow, and in red, as I think was the other large one... There was also the one you're referring to with the TV in the center, and all around it vignettes showing what was on the different channels.

A detail of my dad's "Rear Window" appears on p. 96 of Andrew Baseman's beautiful book The Scarf (text by Harold Carlton, photographs by Robin Nedboy), published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang (1989). The detail from dad's scarf gets a full page to itself. Andrew Baseman collected the amazing scarves in the book over a period of ten years from 1979 when he bought his first scarf. As he writes in the Foreword, "It was signed by Charles Addams, and it depicted characters from his New Yorker cartoons." A photo of that scarf is on the facing page.

Several other New Yorker cartoonists' scarves are also included in the book. Here's the blurb (from Amazon): 

A celebration of the scarf not only as a fashion accessory but as a work of art. It chronicles the history and appeal of its subject, with examples from Hermes, Pucci and Givenchy, with printed bandanas, the limited-edition from l'Ascher, humorous souvenir scarves, Deco patterns and shawl-scarves. One chapter features one-of-a kind scarves created for "The Scarf" by such artists and designers as Kenny Scharf, Roz Chast, Maurice Sendak, Mary McFadden and the House of Balmain. The final chapter provides ideas for arranging, tying and wearing scarves. 

Dad also did several smaller square ones showing Grecian dancers with a Shakespearean motif ("All the world's a stage"), and several short narrower rectangular neck scarves: one with acrobats and another with jugglers, if memory serves.

September 15, 2022 Update:  A predominantly red and olive version of the Rear Window scarf is in the collection of New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast.

Photograph by Roz Chast

Note:  In addition to the images of original art, correspondence, and rare published material by New Yorker artists that I always ask for, it seems now I must add a request for silk scarves. So be it!

Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:

Anatol Kovarsky

Fashion

Arizona

Attempted Bloggery's Knotty Index

02645