In cartoonist Al Ross's sketch of a man walking his dog, it's hard to tell who is having the better time. Ross was a master of the loose, fluid line. This sketch, seemingly done in a minute or two, still punches above its weight in conveying movement, personality, and humor.
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| Al Ross The Benefit Shop Foundation, January 5, 2022 Hammer price |
Note: A big thank-you to cartoonist Bob Eckstein for very publicly alerting me (and others) to this auction on his Facebook account.
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| "My client keeps full custody of you." |
January 17, 2021 Update: The Finalists
January 29, 2022 Update: I voted for the caption from Rocklin.
February 1, 2022 Update: The Winner
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Harry Bliss's cartoon collection Death by Laughter appeared in 2008. Many but by no means all of the cartoons are on the subject of death. This collection does not include any of his New Yorker work. There is an entertaining introduction by Christopher Guest which humorously recounts his own early, unsuccessful attempts at cartooning. Fortunately, he found his way to film work. Guest then recounts how he and his wife went on to collect original cartoon art by a number of well-known cartoonists including Bliss.
A signed and authenticated copy of the book was purchased by me on eBay in June of 2017 for $9.98 plus $3 shipping. The cover illustrates the basic concept of Death by Laughter.
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| With the signature of Harry Bliss |
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| The back cover |
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| Certificate of Authenticity |
The authenticator placed a sticker in the book on the page directly behind the signature. Note the dedication and the acknowledgment of the Grim Reaper.
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| Certification verified January 8, 2021 |
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Writer and cartoonist Shel Silverstein (1930-1999) left his unmistakeable signature the front free endpaper of his copy of James Thurber's Fables for Our Time (1940). The book, a 1943 later printing, was sold on eBay in October for a strong $850 despite some minor condition problems, particularly to the dust jacket. The seller writes, "Silverstein considered Thurber to be one of the best draftsmen of the time (along with George Price and Saul Steinberg) and the influence on Shel's own work is undeniable." That's a curious comment. Thurber is indeed one of the great New Yorker cartoonists of his own or any time. There is an indefinable magic to his characters conveyed in their gestures and facial expressions. His use of language, of course, is peerless. Draftsmanship, though, would seem to be the least of Thurber's praiseworthy attributes. The eBay listing goes on to state, "Silverstein commented on a meeting with Thurber in a 1961 interview with Studs Terkel: 'I had the pleasure of meeting Thurber, spent an evening with him in New York, one of the greatest evenings of my life. The man was an unbelievable conversationalist, the greatest I ever heard.'" That sounds more like it.
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| Shel Silverstein eBay listing ended October 18, 2021 |
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| Shel Silverstein eBay item description |
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| "People who like the theatre can't help but like The New Yorker." Alfred Frueh |
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| Helen Hayes touring as Portia in "The Merchant of Venice" Stage: The Magazine of After Dark, April 1938 Photo by Vandamm |
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| Contents Spot drawing by Victor de Pauw |
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| First putting suet on his Saratoga lawn for a tame flock of spring harbingers, Frank Sullivan takes a junket to Broadway, and casts a weather-eye on the current drama. Ludwig Bemelmans |
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| Detail showing the remainder of the far right side of the Bemelmans drawing |
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| "Till the Weather Breaks" by Beatrice Lillie Caricature of Beatrice Lillie by Christina Malman |
Why , I can remember when a dog could go to sleep all day in the middle of Main Street and nothing come along to disturb him.—Thornton Wilder, "Our Town"
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| "Our Town" Adolf Dehn |
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The old Onyx Club "Oh, Say Can You Swing" by Paul Douglas Illustration by Abe Birnbaum |
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| "He's a dramatic critic, and sees a point in keeping it a secret." George Price |
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| "Hi-ya, Leo." Otto Soglow |
Note: This all started when master collagist Stephen Kroninger sent me a scan of the New Yorker theatre advertisement from his magazine collection. After that, one thing just led to another. My thanks to Stephen for all the work he put in. This is his forty-sixth contribution here. He should know better by now.
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I was unable to attend the event in the Strand Book Store's rare book room on December 14 featuring cartoonist Ken Krimstein in conversation with Molly Crabapple. The topic was his new book When I Grow Up: The Autobiographies of Six Yiddish Teens. I ordered a signed copy via mail order, the next best thing to a personalized copy.
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I needed to break out of the CartoonStock Caption Contest #146. My three captions are shown below. The drawing is by Drew Dernavich.
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| "They grow up to hate their parents so fast." "That explains why there's no car in the driveway." "He'll be back for the duck." |
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| "I just don't see why she went to the escape room." "We need to be better wardens." "Who doesn't want out?" |
January 23, 2022 Update: The Winner
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Among the treasures auctioned last month at Swann Galleries' sale of Illustration Art was a cel from "Yellow Submarine" (1968) featuring the Chief Blue Meanie. Note how well the intense color has been preserved.
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For reasons I don't pretend to understand, cartoonist Mischa Richter's original New Yorker cartoons tend to be undervalued by the art market. Many examples in the blog archives show eBay sales in the $40-60 range, occasionally edging up closer to $100. Personally, I see no reason why a good Richter New Yorker original shouldn't, from time to time, inspire a spirited bidding war. It actually happened, but now I am left to wonder whether it was all staged.
The case in point is Richter's art from the issue of June 18, 1990. It's a simple enough idea, conveyed with the use of a thought bubble but requiring no caption. I was pleasantly surprised to see the work sell for a healthy $560. But a month later, the very same drawing was back on the market from the same eBay seller. This time it sold for $47.99. How does one explain this?
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| Mischa Richter Original art The New Yorker, June 18, 1990, page 54 |
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| Mischa Richter's signature |
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| Mischa Richter eBay listing ended November 1, 2021 |
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| Mischa Richter eBay item description |
