In 1927, amidst the backdrop of Prohibition and its discontents, Frank Shaycollected My Pious Friends and Drunken Companions. The book is "magnificently illuminated" by the cartoonist John Held, Jr., showing off his deliberately old-fashioned woodblock style. What caught my eye right off was the bold frontispiece illustration, The Rumrunner's Sister-in-Law. This had been Held's very first New Yorker illustration, appearing in the issue of April 11, 1925.
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| The Rumrunner's Sister-in-Law John Held, Jr. The New Yorker, April 11, 1925, page 5 |
An illustrator of Held's popularity gets his name to appear with the same prominence as the author's.
Variations on such lyrics were common:
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| John Held, Jr. eBay listing accessed January 13, 2021 https://www.ebay.com/itm/My-Pious-Friends-and-Drunken-Companions-by-Frank-Shay-1927-1st-edition/324407172757?hash=item4b882c9e95:g:RicAAOSwjJdfzSY4 |
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| John Held, Jr. eBay item description |
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| Cartoon by John Held, Jr. |
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