November 21, 2017, 10:01 pm
Otto Soglow's satirical cartoon from the October 1937 issue of College Humor shows us high society at play. All the "photographed" couples are having an absolutely fabulous time—with one notable exception. And perhaps only in a Soglow cartoon could we have to ask ourselves how many t's are in Butt.
![]() |
Otto Soglow
College Humor, Vol. 6, No. 2, October 1937, page 21 |
Note: I found this cartoon in a copy of the October 1937 issue of College Humor, just one wonderful page out of some 5,600 publications housed in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection. It is in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University and the collection is accessible to the general public. Just contact Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green. She'll make sure you're ready for your closeup.
Help me keep Otto Soglow's art in the public eye here on Attempted Bloggery. I seek high-quality scans or photographs of original cartoon art by Soglow and his contemporaries whose work appeared in magazines like College Humor or The New Yorker. Please send along examples of rare or overlooked published work like this photorealistic cartoon.
↧
November 22, 2017, 9:05 pm
On the eve of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a turkey balloon sits perched on the 34th Street entrance of Macy's Herald Square.![]() |
Macy's flagship New York store
November 22, 2017
Photograph courtesy of my wife |
Note: Happy Thanksgiving. I will not personally be taking any pictures of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons this year, but I probably could be persuaded to accept photographs submitted by readers of the balloon inflation or of the parade. Try me.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Thanksgiving
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
02375
↧
↧
November 23, 2017, 3:02 am
The balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade were originally created by puppeteer and illustrator Tony Sarg (1880-1942). The young puppeteer Bil Baird (1904-1987) went to work for him in 1928, constructing the balloons that Sarg designed. Baird can be seen atop a ladder painting the Sultan balloon for the parade in a vintage photograph while Sarg, center, supervises from the ground.
Five years later, Baird struck off on his own. He formed Baird Marionettes in 1934. He used his puppet modeling skills to produce a series of magazine covers for College Humor in 1937. The magazine referred to them as "sculptures" and the color photographs, seemingly a novelty at the time, were credited to Dudley Lee. The women wear heavy eye makeup in all of these covers. The January cover avoids all that heavy winter clothing your mother thinks you're wearing.
![]() |
Sculpture by Bill Baird (?)
Photo by Dudley Lee (?)
College Humor, January1937
|
Today accusations of sexual harassment against prominent, powerful men are a major subject in the news. For decades, though, sexual harassment has been depicted in male-oriented humor magazines as a nothing more serious than a knowing, sexy joke. Wink wink. Get it?
![]() |
Sculpture by Bill Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 5, No. 1, May 1937
Our blonde hero has fallen for a redhead, but she seems to have other ideas.
![]()
Sculpture by Bill Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol 5, No. 2, June 1937
Our hero understandably wants to get closer to his athletic redhead, but it's important to stay out of the line of fire. Sculpture by Bill Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee College Humor, Vol 5, No. 3, July 1937 |
|
|
It's summertime, and three's a crowd!![]() |
Sculpture by Bill Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 5, No. 4, August 1937
Scan by Dick Buchanan |
Well, well. The new academic year brings success! Even the carousel horses know what's going on!![]() |
Sculpture by Bill Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 6, No. 1, September 1937 |
Our hero has gained new confidence! Yet he is wearing a freshman beanie. That detail doesn't seem right. Didn't his sweater on the July cover put him in the Class of '40? That would make him a sophomore. Still, he seems to be doing better with his romantic interest. There must be hope for all of us!![]() |
Sculpture by Bill Baird
Photo by Dudley Lee
College Humor, Vol. 6, No. 2, October 1937 |
I'm not sure of the date of this one:
![]() |
|
In the 1965 film version of "The Sound of Music," Bil Baird and his marionettes are at the top of their game in "The Lonely Goatherd."
"The Lonely Goatherd"Maria—Julie AndrewsMarionettes by Bil BairdMusic by Richard RodgersLyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II"The Sound of Music" (1965 film) Note: The July, September, and October 1937 covers of College Humor photographed here are from the Steven Boss humor magazine collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University. Contact Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green for information on the collection.Thanks to Dick Buchanan for scanning the August cover. Dick is a regular contributor to Mike Lynch Cartoons, most recently a post entitled, "Dick Buchanan's Cartoon Files: More Cops and Robbers Gag Cartoons 1947 - 1968."
Two of the smaller cover scans are from eBay. I would love to receive higher-resolution scans of these. I'd also like to hear from anyone with other covers from the series or, better still, the original puppets or photographs.
There are lovely scans of three of these covers on Illostribute.
Happy Thanksgiving! I will not personally be taking any pictures of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons this year, but I probably could be persuaded to accept photographs submitted by readers of the balloon inflation or of the parade. Try me.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Thanksgiving
Bil Baird
College Humor
Attempted Bloggery's Collegiate Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
November 23, 2017, 7:03 pm
It's autumn in the woods.Someone's been decorating:What's this?
02377
↧
November 23, 2017, 9:01 pm
In Otto Soglow's four-panel gag cartoon from the February 1938 issue of College Humor, it's all about mind over matter. The cartoon suffers from devoting the right two-thirds of each panel to an unchanging poster of Alfo the Lion Tamer. Soglow tries to compensate for this monotony by shifting his point of view very slightly to the left with each successive panel, so that the poster moves imperceptably off to the right. This helps a little bit, but it's simply not satisfactory to limit all the action to the left side of each panel.![]() |
Otto Soglow
College Humor, Vol 7, No. 2, February 1938, page 29 |
Note: Last year I had the privilege of photographing this cartoon in a copy of the February 1938 number of College Humor, just one full magazine page out of some 5,600 publications housed in the Steven Boss humor magazine collection. It is kept in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University and the collection is accessible to the general public. For information, contact Curator for Comics and Cartoons Karen Green who was a big help to me.
It's almost time for me to move on from Otto Soglow to other extraordinary artists, but from time to time I'd like to keep his work in the public eye here on Attempted Bloggery. Therefore, in the spirit of Mr. Soglow dutifully drawing Alfo the Lion Tamer over and over, I repeat once again my request for high-quality scans or photographs of original cartoon art by Otto Soglow. Please also send me examples of rare or forgotten published work so we can all stay as mentally-focused as Mr. Soglow's carnival barker.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Otto Soglow
College Humor
Attempted Bloggery's Mindful Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
↧
November 24, 2017, 9:01 pm
On July 19, 1941, the "V for Victory" campaign was embraced by Winston Churchill. It rapidly took hold in the United States as well, even before Pearl Harbor. In the pages of The New Yorker, cartoonist Otto Soglow's pushcart vendor knew just how to put his marketing skills to work and do the V sign one better. The original artwork to the cartoon has a different letter on the back: New Yorker founding editor Harold Ross's initial R, indicating that Ross personally approved this cartoon for publication.![]() |
Otto Soglow, original art
The New Yorker, September 6, 1941, page 12
Scan courtesy of Jerome Wrinkle |
![]() |
Otto Soglow, original art, verso
Ross's R at upper left
The New Yorker, September 6, 1941, page 12
Scan courtesy of Jerome Wrinkle |
![]() |
| Cartoons by Otto Soglow and Richard Taylor |
![]() |
Otto Soglow
The New Yorker, September 6, 1941, page 12 |
![]() |
Otto Soglow, original art
The New Yorker, September 6, 1941, page 12
Scan courtesy of Jerome Wrinkle |
Almanac: "V for Victory" Sign"CBS Sunday Morning"July 19, 2015
Note: Thanks to Jerome Wrinkle for providing these fascinating scans.
Michael Maslin found a New Yorker wartime pamphlet initialed in red by Harold Ross with his R. It's on Ink Spillhere.
Otto Soglow doesn't get a lot of attention these days, but we don't shy away from obscure subject matter here at Attempted Bloggery. So in the spirit of Winston Churchill urging the world to adopt the symbol "V for Victory," I repeat once again my request for readers to forward high-quality scans or photographs of original cartoon art by Otto Soglow. Please also send me examples of extremely rare or uncollected published work. Peace. I mean Victory.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Otto Soglow
Original New Yorker Cartoon Art
World War II
Attempted Bloggery's Victorious Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
November 26, 2017, 12:01 am
An original cartoon by Otto Soglow (1900-1975) was offered for sale last year at Burchard Galleries in St. Petersburg. The work is inscribed by Mr. Soglow "With best wishes to Chris." Christian Buchheit (1885-1974) "served for 50 years as Building Superintendent for The Art Students League in New York." Nearly one-hundred works from his estate were offered at auction. According to artfixdaily.com,“'This is truly a rare estate find,' said Jeffrey Burchard, owner of Burchard Galleries. 'When Mr. Buchheit retired, many of the League artists and teachers paid tribute by presenting him with a 50th year anniversary party that included a portfolio of original watercolors, drawings, oils and prints. Many of these will be in the auction and are being offered to the public for the first time.'” The present work of a bewildered drawing student lost amidst giant nude sculptures sold for $250.![]() |
Otto Soglow, original art
"Where is the still life class?"
Inscribed "With best wishes to Chris/O. Soglow" |
![]() |
Otto Soglow, original matted art
"Where is the still life class?"
Inscribed "With best wishes to Chris/O. Soglow" |
![]() |
Burchard Galleries, Inc.
November 13, 2016 |
Note: Was this drawing published or was it, as seems likely, created specifically for retiring building superintendent Christian Buchheit of the Art Students League? Is the man in the dark suit a caricature of Christian Buchheit? Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact me.
Otto Soglow produced a prodigious amount of material in his lifetime, and Attempted Bloggery wants to show you more of it. In the spirit of the befuddled art student lost among giant nudes, I stand amidst the enormous chaos of the internet and ask my readers once again to forward high-quality scans or photographs of original cartoon art by Otto Soglow. I also seek examples of extremely rare and obscure published work. And directions to the still life class.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Otto Soglow
Original Cartoon Art
The Art Students League
Attempted Bloggery's Artsy Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
November 27, 2017, 12:01 am
Autumn comes to the Caption Contest. Here is my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #594 for November 27, 2017. The drawing is by Maggie Lawson.
![]() |
| "It's so cute when nature lovers dress like lumberjacks!" |
Note: Last week, cartoonist Tom Cheney was quite the backstabber. My caption was too dull. Rub salt into Contest #593.
Maggie Lawson is brand new to the blog! She's a cartoonist and she's okay...02381
↧
November 27, 2017, 11:01 pm
When I gamble, I don't need to go to a casino; I go to an online bookseller and buy something I can't examine. The gamble is that a bookseller who won't go to the trouble of providing a photo will nevertheless accurately describe a book. My gambles in book buying have overall been fairly successful so far, with one or two odd caveats. Win or lose, I report on the results of my blind purchases right here on the blog. Today I report on my most expensive experiment to date, a sight unseen copy of Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club (New York, 1945). As noted in the Strand Book Store listing, the publication is limited to 1000 copies and this volume is inscribed by Otto Soglow with an erotic drawing. The price is $125. Okay, I decided to go for it.![]() |
Abe Books Listing
August 7, 2016 |
The book has voyeuristic cover art by John Falter, a regular Saturday Evening Post cover artist. ![]() |
John Falter,Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club New York, 1945, cover |
The endpapers are by Dean Cornwell, another outstanding contributor.
![]() |
| Dean Cornwell, endpaper |
The Soglow drawing appears in the front of the book on a blank page opposite a printed erotic drawing of a woman wearing only panties, a skirt, and heels, immodestly bending over. Soglow has drawn his Little King staring very specifically at her crotch and experiencing a visible bulge in his royal robe. Humorist Corey Ford has also signed the page and directed a comment at the same area of the woman's anatomy. What a coincidence!
![]() |
Inscribed "With love to Harry [Staton?]/O. Soglow" with a drawing of the Little King aroused
Inscribed "The usual place/Corey Ford—" |
The drawing is inscribed to one Harry. It seems likely this is Harry Staton, who managed the Herald Tribune Syndicate and served as Treasurer of the Dutch Treat Club.
![]() |
Among the listed officers of the Dutch Treat Club is Treasurer Harry Staton (c. 1880- 1959), possibly the original owner of this volume. Harry Staton was the manager of the Herald Tribune Syndicate from 1924-1947. Note the classy medicine cabinet. |
Many of the artists in the Dutch Treat Club contributed a drawing with the theme of the number forty. Here is Otto Soglow's anatomical capriccio to end the volume:
So here's my take on this purchase: I got my money's worth, but to what end? This book is an absolutely unique item in a number of ways. It is perhaps Soglow's only drawing of the Little King in a sexually-aroused state—heaven forfend if there are more—and it is an unexpected bonus to see it paired with Corey Ford's signature. The likely provenance of Harry Staton makes it even more interesting. I have no doubt it's worth $125.
On the down side, it is a dated relic of an old boys' club of cartoonists and humorists. Soglow and Ford are looking for crude laughs in the objectification of women. I love the Little King, but this isn't the Little King drawing I would choose for myself. In fact, I'm pretty sure I would have passed on the book if I'd actually seen it. But then, what was I expecting?
It seems almost every day I ask for scans or photographs of original cartoon art by Otto Soglow. I usually ask for examples of extremely rare and obscure published work. Today I offered a little of each myself. See, it isn't so hard.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Otto Soglow
Corey Ford
John Falter
The Dutch Treat Club
Sight Unseen
Attempted Bloggery's Bulging Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
↧
November 28, 2017, 11:01 pm
An important feature of the Dutch Treat Club yearbooks was the membership directory. In the Fortieth Anniversary of The Dutch Treat Club, the 1945 yearbook's directory has letter illustrations by the prolific Otto Soglow. Like the other illustrations in the yearbook, they are racy and irreverent, meant to be enjoyed by the group's members and definitely not intended for the general public. Not every letter of the alphabet is illustrated; only those for whom there are corresponding Dutch Treat Club members.
![]() |
Otto Soglow,Members with letters A and B
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
The listing begins with legendary theater impresario George Abbott |
![]() |
Otto Soglow, C
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
Harrison Cady and James Cagney head the C listings. |
![]() |
Otto Soglow, D
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
Including both Whitney Darrow and Whitney Darrow, Jr. |
![]() |
Otto Soglow, E and F
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
Clifton Fadiman has the dubious distinction of leading off the F's
Saturday Evening Post cover artist John Falter, who illustrated this year's
yearbook cover, is noted for his wartime service in the Naval Reserve.
|
![]() |
Otto Soglow, G
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
Frank Godwin and Rube Goldberg are among the G's. |
![]() |
Otto Soglow, H
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
John Gunther, author of the popular "Inside" books,
would publish Death Be Not Proud in 1949. |
![]() |
Otto Soglow, I and J
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club, 1945
Rea Irvin, illustrator of The New Yorker's first cover,
is listed as the first I.
|
![]() |
Otto Soglow, K and L
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
Publisher Alfred A. Knopf is in the mix.
Fritz Kreisler is listed as a composer rather than a violinist. |
![]() |
Otto Soglow, M
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
|
![]() |
Otto Soglow, N, O, P, and Q
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
Ogden Nash has the indignity of being the first N.
Illustrator Russell Patterson is listed among the R's.
|
![]() |
Otto Soglow, R and S
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
|
![]() |
Otto Soglow, V and W
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
|
![]() |
Otto Soglow, Z
Fortieth Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. New York: 1945
|
Note: Collectors who have access to rarities of the Dutch Treat Club are encouraged to share them here. I would also appreciate scans or photographs of original cartoon art by Otto Soglow. Rare and obscure published work such as these letters are always welcome.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Otto Soglow
The Dutch Treat Club
Attempted Bloggery's Alphabetical Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
November 30, 2017, 12:00 am
Racial caricature was pervasive in American print through the first half of the twentieth century and beyond. An advertisement illustrated by Otto Soglow from late in 1956 is shocking today in it's crudeness. Did it raise any eyebrows back then? It ran in Time magazine, then as now the quintessential mainstream newsmagazine with a paid circulation above two million. Implicitly racist mages like this seem remarkable to us for how uncritically accepted they were by readers, publishers, advertisers, illustrators, and the public in general. Could they have been so commonplace once that no one took any notice?![]() |
"It'll last a lifetime—thanks to Alloys[.]"
Otto Soglow
Advertisement for Electromet
Time, December 17, 1956
|
Note: As you know, I'm always looking for scans or photographs of original cartoon art by Otto Soglow. Rare and obscure published work including advertising is also welcome.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Otto Soglow
Advertising
Cannibals and Missionaries
Attempted Bloggery's Color Blind Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
December 1, 2017, 1:01 am
Artwork by Otto Soglow, creator of the Little King, depicts the cartoonist seeking inspiration to create a page in the Dutch Treat Club's racy yearbook. He appears morose at the outset, then settles on a theme—"What a theme!"— for his gag. He's going to perform an aggressive search through depersonalized and oversized female anatomy for the secret papers of the Dutch Treat Club. Only then can the cartoonist, without so much as a "Pardon me," retreat gleefully to his drawing board and accomplish his task. The objectification of women's bodies is a recurring theme in the yearbooks of the (all-male) Dutch Treat Club, but this seems an especially egregious example. The original art is currently listed on eBay.![]() |
| With Strategic Post-It Notes for eBay |
![]() |
"'For Comparison'
Not for Sale" |
![]() |
Otto Soglow
Original art, The Dutch Treat Club yearbook, n.d., page 10 |
![]() |
Otto Soglow
eBay Listing as of November 30, 2017
|
![]() |
Otto Soglow
eBay Item Description |
Note: Well, there's a trip we haven't taken before. I've violated so many norms this week I should be in Washington.
The eBay seller's estimate that this artwork is circa 1955 seems reasonable. Collectors are urged to search through their libraries of Dutch Treat Club yearbooks so we can assign a more precise date to the art. Just look at page 10. No scythe needed.
I am interested in scans or photographs of original cartoon art like this page by the prolific Otto Soglow. Rare and obscure published work including that appearing in College Humor or the Dutch Treat Club yearbooks is in demand here.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Otto Soglow
The Dutch Treat Club
Attempted Bloggery's Well-Trimmed Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
December 1, 2017, 10:01 pm
Censored mail. Monumental female nudes. A mishap in the art museum. Cartoonist Otto Soglow, creator of the Little King, doesn't hold back anything when he's drawing for the Dutch Treat Club yearbooks. Stephen Kroninger provides some scans of Soglow from various yearbooks in his collection.
Let's start with the Little King. Even he faces wartime censorship:
Soglow, in dinner jacket, has some serious reconstruction work to attend to:
How to appreciate fine art:
Surveying the political landscape:
A Soglow mainstream self-portrait:
Another monumental female landscape:
All hail:
Wartime wordplay:![]() |
Otto Soglow
Offense Terms |
Can't stop watching:
Endpaper:
Note: My sincere thanks to Stephen Kroninger for providing these scans from his archive.
Otto Soglow, like all the people on Santa's list, can be naughty or nice. Either way, check it twice and then send along scans or snaps of original art or of obscure published work like that appearing in College Humor or the Dutch Treat Club yearbooks.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Otto Soglow
The Dutch Treat Club
Attempted Bloggery's Monumental Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
↧
December 2, 2017, 9:01 pm
The theme of the 1946 Dutch Treat Club yearbook was Reconversion or the Dutch Treat Club Gets Back to Normal: The Forty-First Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club. The yearbook had section headings illustrated by the indefatigable Otto Soglow, each naughtily illustrating a different aspect of the postwar recovery or reconversion as it was somewhat technically termed. Stephen Kroninger has supplied Attempted Bloggery with the photos.
We begin with The Reconversion of Belles Lettres, all twenty-six of them, in no particular order;![]() |
1. The Reconversion of Belles Lettres
Otto Soglow
Reconversion or the Dutch Treat Club Gets Back to Normal:
The Forty-First Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club, 1946
Photograph by Stephen Kroninger |
Next up is The Reconversion of Art. The paper stock must have been suboptimal even in the early postwar period. You can see the unmistakeable silhouette of a Rube Goldberg drawing showing through from the other side.![]() |
2. The Reconversion of Art
Otto Soglow
Reconversion or the Dutch Treat Club Gets Back to Normal:
The Forty-First Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club, 1946
Photograph by Stephen Kroninger |
Then there's Music. Let's play along.![]() |
3. The Reconversion of Music
Otto Soglow
Reconversion or the Dutch Treat Club Gets Back to Normal:
The Forty-First Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club, 1946
Photograph by Stephen Kroninger |
What the D.T.C. calls the Drama, we call Melodrama.![]() |
4. The Reconversion of the Drama
Otto Soglow
Reconversion or the Dutch Treat Club Gets Back to Normal:
The Forty-First Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club, 1946
Photograph by Stephen Kroninger |
Let's not forget what it's all about:![]() |
5. The Reconversion of Sex
Otto Soglow
Reconversion or the Dutch Treat Club Gets Back to Normal:
The Forty-First Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club, 1946
Photograph by Stephen Kroninger |
It just never gets old:
![]() |
6. The Reconversion of the Allied Arts
Otto Soglow
Reconversion or the Dutch Treat Club Gets Back to Normal:
The Forty-First Anniversary of the Dutch Treat Club, 1946
Photograph by Stephen Kroninger |
Note: My heartfelt thanks to Stephen Kroninger for providing these photographs from his extensive archive.
Otto Soglow created enough work to keep a blogger busy forever. Send in your scans or photographs of original Soglow art or of his obscure published work such as that appearing in College Humor or the Dutch Treat Club yearbooks. I'll get right to work on it.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Otto Soglow
The Dutch Treat ClubStephen Kroninger
Attempted Bloggery's Melodramatic Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
December 3, 2017, 11:01 pm
Give a nice warm hug to my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #595 for December 4, 2017. The drawing is by Drew Dernavich.
![]() |
| "Don't give him anything on layaway." |
Note: Last week cartoonist Maggie Lawson gave us talking trees. My caption was all bark. Anyway, I think you'll really dig Contest #594.
Drew Dernavich has one of the most distinctive styles in cartooning today. That fact didn't help me to distinguish myself in any of his Caption Contests though. You can read his whole history with Attempted Bloggery here.
02388
↧
December 5, 2017, 4:01 am
If you were in town on November 9, 1946, you should have been at the Waldorf-Astoria Grand Ballroom for the annual Dutch Treat Show. Directed by no less a Dutch Treat Club member than George Abbott, the music included "The Dutch Treat Hymn" by Rodgers and Hammerstein. In fact, Richard Rodgers played a little piano as well.
The alternate title of the show was "What is Art?" That's always something worth pondering. The show's players were a veritable Who's Who in the world of illustration, publishing, and the performing arts. The performance included a comedy sketch by Rube Goldberg in which a young Wally Cox played someone named Stella—this was obviously classy stuff, and there were no women in the Dutch Treat Club to take the female roles anyway—and Vanity Fair'sFrank Crowninshield (of the Algonquin Round Table too) played, naturally, a connoisseur. Harry Staton, manager of the Herald Tribune Syndicate, played a visitor from the newly-created United Nations.
George Abbott played in his own sketch alongside Bennett Cerf. Cartoonist Otto Soglow got to realize his dream of being an actor by cross-dressing as Gilda in a sketch by Deems Taylor. The New Yorker's Rea Irvin was one of many extras.
There was a lot more going on. Just take a look at the program. And please tip your waiter.![]() |
John E. Sheridan
The D.T. Presents the 1946 Show |
![]() |
| "AND FINALLY—PLEASE TIP YOUR WAITER" |
Note: My thanks again go to Stephen Kroninger for scanning this program which he found inserted in one of his Dutch Treat Club yearbooks.
Memorabilia of the Dutch Treat Club makes a welcome addition to the blog. I'd love to take a look at what odd items readers have on hand.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
The Dutch Treat ClubStephen Kroninger
Attempted Bloggery's Stage-Struck Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
December 5, 2017, 9:01 pm
Otto Soglow's Little King got his start in the pages of The New Yorker. The character was so popular he was taken into newspaper syndication in 1934, where he remained throughout Soglow's lifetime. The cartoonist also put his Little King to use in the more risqué venue of the Dutch Treat Club yearbooks, limited runs available only to men in the club and certainly not meant for the general public. Here are some rarely-seen examples from several different years. ![]() |
Otto Soglow
The Little King
The Dutch Treat Club 1934 yearbook
Photo by Stephen Kroninger |
![]() |
Otto Soglow
The Little King
The Dutch Treat Club 1935 yearbook
Photo by Stephen Kroninger |
![]() |
Otto Soglow
The Little King
The Dutch Treat Club 1937 yearbook
Photo by Stephen Kroninger |
![]() |
Otto Soglow
The Little King
The Dutch Treat Club 1938 yearbook
Photo by Stephen Kroninger |
![]() |
Otto Soglow
The Little King
The Dutch Treat Club 1939 yearbook
Photo by Stephen Kroninger |
And one more I already included in Saturday's post. It's been censored, so I don't mind showing it twice:![]() |
Otto Soglow
The Little King
The Dutch Treat Club 1940 yearbook
Photo by Stephen Kroninger |
![]() |
The Dutch Treat Club yearbooks
Photo by Stephen Kroninger |
Note: Thanks again go to Stephen Kroninger for going into his library and taking these photos of the rarest Little King strips.
Otto Soglow produced a prodigious number of gags. Readers are encouraged to send in scans or photographs of his original art. Obscure publications like the Dutch Treat Club yearbooks keep a lot of his niche work hidden from view—the Dutch Treat books were never offered to the general public—but with your assistance I can put it out there for all to see.
↧
↧
December 6, 2017, 10:01 pm
Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
—President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Speaking of infamy on this Pearl Harbor Day, let's take a long look at the artistic selections from the 1941 yearbook of The Dutch Treat Club! It's very timely theme is Dutch Treat Club Total Offense 1941 and surely it lives up to its name. The club's members do what they do every year, privately producing a volume of ribald humor that was too racy for general consumption and staging a one-off public performance—this year with George M. Cohan—that was probably very entertaining and still racy. War was clearly in the offing here. Everyone must have sensed that, even before Pearl Harbor.![]() |
| Russell Patterson |
The following information has not been independently verified:
![]() |
| The actual press run was probably 1,250. |
Note: This time Stephen Kroninger has really outdone himself, photographing all the visually-compelling pages of the 1941 Dutch Treat Club yearbook. Once again, Stephen, I thank you.
↧
December 7, 2017, 9:01 pm
What should we make of Otto Soglow's program cover for the National Cartoonists Society 1974 Reuben Awards Dinner? The dinner was held on April 22, 1974, with the program cover design capped by the arc of a baseball, reminding us that the new baseball season is underway. The illustration seems both lighthearted and surreal, part disembodied magic act and part lurid sideshow, with the coveted Reuben award depicted as a bearded bathing beauty being offered to a faceless—at least until the winner is announced—tuxedoed recipient. And the winner is...![]() |
Otto Soglow
The Cartoonist, 1974 |
Note: My thanks once again to Stephen Kroninger for providing Attempted Bloggery with this scarce Soglow scan.
Otto Soglow had a uniquely economic style. I'd be happy to present more scans or photographs of his original art—hint, hint. Images of published rarities such as this NCS cover are also welcome.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives
Otto Soglow
Stephen Kroninger
Attempted Bloggery's Award-Shunning Index
Attempted Bloggery supports net neutrality.
↧
December 8, 2017, 10:01 pm
John Held, Jr., was hands-down the most popular illustrator of the 1920s. His flappers and their companions seemed to effortlessly embody the Jazz Age. But he also created a line of remarkable linoleum block prints masquerading as late 19th century "engravings." They are endlessly nostalgic for the magic of a lost age every bit as much as his flapper drawings are expressive of his own moment. Three vintage Christmas cards in this charmingly old-fashioned style surfaced recently on eBay. They romanticize the joys of Christmas shopping in a bygone era.![]() |
John Held, Jr.
eBay Listing as of June 15, 2017
|
![]() |
John Held, Jr.
eBay Item Description |
Note: John Held, Jr., was a formidable talent whether celebrating the Roaring Twenties or the Gay Nineties. Readers with examples of his unflappable flappers or topping top hats are invited to send scans or photographs this way.
Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:
John Held, Jr.
Christmas02393
↧
