Leave it to cartoonist Charles Addams (1912-1988) to get invited to the estate of celebrated stage actress Katharine Cornell (1893-1974). Her home, built in 1951, was in Sneden's Landing in the Palisades. Addams thanked the Tony Award winner for her hospitality as only he could: with a personalized copy of his 1957 collection Nightcrawlers. It is inscribed "For Katherine [sic] Cornell/ with admiration/ Chas Addams/ Sneden's/ 1958." Below that, Addams includes an original drawing of the then-unnamed mischievous girl we all now recognize as Wednesday with her pet reptile (Lucifer?). The pair are also seen on the book's dust cover along with other now-famous Addams Family members enjoying some time outdoors in the moonlight.
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| "Mmmmm—smells good, dear. Who is it?" |
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| "I hope you're not angry, Ed. I just had to see you." |
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| Art from The New Yorker cover of June 22, 1957 |
The cartoon on the back of the dust jacket cover is set in the Automat:
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| Charles Addams eBay listing accessed August 15, 2023 |
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| Charles Addams eBay item description |
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| [End of eBay listing] |
Katharine Cornell in
"Stage Door Canteen" (1943)
Katharine Cornell put her Sneden's Landing estate on the market in 1964:
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| https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1964/11/05/118687187.html?pageNumber=47 |
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