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Frank Modell: Roughing It with Cleopatra
Certain Books of Westhampton is currently offering this preliminary sketch for a 1961 New Yorker cartoon by Frank Modell. The subject is Cleopatra, looking rather unreasonable, and the price is $150,...
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We Saw a Nook
Heritage Auctions, in a 2002 sale, described this Dr. Seuss character as "reminiscent of the Cat in the Hat." That's not all that helpful, is it? Actually, this drawing is of the Nook from One Fish Two...
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Jack Ziegler Doesn't Draw Henry
Cartoonist Jack Ziegler doesn't draw "Henry." Hey, don't take my word for it:Jack Ziegler,"I Don't Draw...
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Rube Goldberg: Cars and Happiness
The message of this Rube Goldberg Why is It? comic strip simply doesn't resonate with me. I understand that money alone does not make people happy, and happiness certainly does not require money. What...
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Economy Shipping
Apparently some 16 mm prints of Walt Disney's short "The Mail Pilot" (1933) carry the title "The Dizzy Pilot." It's not close to a good alternate title, and it ignores the direct references to "The...
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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #389
Here is my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #389 for July 29, 2013. The cartoon is by Paul Noth. The caption, I'm afraid, is all mine."Rare enough for you?"I came up with just a few...
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Ronald Searle Signed Photo
I have no idea how many cartoonists sign glossy photos of themselves just as any celebrity would, although I suspect not all that many. Ronald Searle certainly was a celebrity by any definition, but...
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Eric Goldberg: After "Aladdin..."
Animator Eric Goldberg conceived the Genie in Disney's "Aladdin" (1992) in the style of illustrator Al Hirschfeld. Hirschfeld's lines are typically flowing and smooth and this style blended well with...
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Ronald Searle Roller Skater
Right now there's a lot of interest in the reportage work of Ronald Searle. An exhibition of the artist's original illustrations for Holiday magazine and for the American market in general is slated to...
View ArticleI Dream of Siri
I spend a lot of time composing these blog posts, of course, but I believe I am now ready for some new technology to come into its own. Here's how I foresee myself embracing the latest blogging...
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Ronald Searle: The Day the Truth Got Out
I've been following cartoonist Ronald Searle's work dutifully, even obsessively, for more than 35 years now and there are still countless published drawings I've never seen. On eBay, this undated (but...
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Ronald Searle: "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines"
What is one to do when a fantastic illustration comes along but it is offered at a stratospheric price? As might be expected, the artwork receives no bids, and when the item is relisted the price...
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My Entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #390
Here's my entry in The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #390 for August 5, 2013. The cartoon is by Drew Dernavich, but the musical caption is all mine."My apologies. Was it tuna you ordered then?"I...
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Ronald Searle: Le Nouveau Ballet Anglais
Le Nouveau Ballet Anglais (1946) is a scarce book title by Ronald Searle published for the French market. It contains sixteen drawings, of which only one is reproduced in this recent eBay listing. In...
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Ronald Searle: Cats at the Ballet
Ronald Searle published a volume of expressive ballet drawings in 1946. The one reproduced here shows his concern for form, contour, balance, and tension. He was skilled at figure drawing, but his...
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Wallace and Gromit by Nick Park
Nick Park is surely one of the very few reigning geniuses of stop-motion animation. He graciously donated a drawing of his superb Wallace and Gromit to the "Searle in America" benefit auction, and it...
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Rea Irvin: Vacationtime in the Virgin Islands
This is a surprise. From eBay, two original illustrations by Rea Irvin were sold for just $200 after failing to find a buyer at $250. Their publication history in the February 1954 issue of Woman's Day...
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New to Instagram
I have a new Instagram account which I just learned how to use. While I'm not much of a photographer, what I do snap looks much better with this application.I don't think this account will have very...
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They Moved My Bowl Signed by Charles Barsotti
I love signed books, but I usually don't go out of my way seeking them out. An author's signature is great, of course, but if there is any question of authenticity it's hardly worth the effort. If a...
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Signed and Inscribed by George Booth
A classic 1984 cartoon collection by George Booth with an original signature and inscription sold for a very reasonable price on eBay. One can easily find unsigned copies of Omnibooth selling for...
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