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Ilonka Karasz: The Amorist and Other Verse
Long-time New Yorker cover artist Ilonka Karasz designed The Amorist and Other Verse, a twenty-two page volume of poetry by Penfield Royce. The eleven illuminated leaves may indeed be a private...
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Peter Arno Uncovered
I bought my copy of Peter Arno'sCircus (1931) for $12.50 in late 1988. The cartoon collection was pushing sixty then, so it was not surprising if it was a bit beaten up with no dust cover in sight....
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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #668
I'm not one to make excuses, but this week I didn't get around to writing an entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #668 for July 1, 2019. That lowers my chances of winning considerably. The...
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Richard Farrar's Tiger Scarf
New Yorker artists Charles Addams, Helen E. Hokinson, Anatol Kovarsky, and Otto Soglow created original designs for silk scarves by Richard Farrar in the 1940s and 1950s. Joel Jacobus writes that a new...
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The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #30
I did not enter the Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #30 although I did start to write a couple of captions at the very last minute. The drawing is by Charles Barsotti."Surprise me!""I don't suppose...
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Clipper Passing Statue of Liberty
The Boeing 314 Clipper was a large flying boat airliner in service for luxury transoceanic passenger flight between 1939 and 1948. Nine of the twelve Clippers produced went into service for Pan Am. The...
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Otto Soglow: W. C. Fields for President
Fields for President is a 1940 book by W. C. Fields with drawings by cartoonist Otto Soglow. The first edition with its original dust jacket is apparently hard to come by. A quick search reveals that...
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The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #31
This week I nearly slept through the Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #31. The courtroom drawing is by the late J. B. Handelsman."And does the prosecution also rest?""Very well. The motion for a...
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Isabel Russell's Copy of The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White
E. B. White was born one-hundred twenty years ago today on July 11, 1899. The Trumpet of the Swan, the last of his great trio of children's books, will turn fifty next year. Isabel Russell worked as...
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A Calvin Trillin Self-Portrait?
Calvin Trillin may be widely-renowned for his writing, but on this blog we like to look occasionally at how authors draw too. James Cummins, bookseller, currently lists a Trillin drawing of a head,...
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A Guillermo Mordillo Press Photo from 1980
Argentine cartoonist Guillermo Mordillo passed away in Spain on June 29, 2019 at age 86. Born in Buenos Aires, he moved to Paris in 1963. His cartoons were often vividly colored but they rarely if ever...
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Zurich Airport 2019
One week ago my family and I flew overseas for some sightseeing in Italy. We are back home now and it is time to begin recounting the adventure. Our trip began as we flew out of JFK over Jamaica Bay on...
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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #669
Welcome to my entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #669 for July 15, 2019. There is a one-drink minimum. The drawing is by John Klossner."I see him doing stand-up three times a night and...
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Jean-Michel Folon: The Year of the Architect
Jean-Michel Folon's 1966 magazine cover for Fortune celebrates the Year of the Architect with a surreal illustration that's quite unlike any architect's vision then or even today:Jean-Michel FolonThe...
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The Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #32
This week I proudly attended the Cartoon Collections Caption Contest #32. The drawing of a school play is by Robert Leighton."You BOTH can be the best thing since sliced bread.""Of course there are...
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Driven to Distraction
Some car owners just know how to have fun. You can count the pop culture references; they're mostly from the movies.Quick Links to the Attempted Bloggery Archives:CarsMoviesAttempted Bloggery's Pop...
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Linda's Copy of I Am Blind and My Dog is Dead by Sam Gross
"What's so funny about red?"—Harold Ross, founding editor of the New Yorker, on why the magazine published only black and white cartoons Ink SpillCartoonist Sam Gross for one thinks the color red is...
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Rome 2019: The Church of Santa Maria Maggiore
This is my third trip to Rome, the previous ones being in March of 1985 and in January of 1995. This month I wasn't prepared for the summer heat, the humidity, and the sheer number of tourists. After...
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V's Copy of George Sprott (1894-1975) by Seth
A copy of George Sprott (1894-1975) is dedicated by author Seth to someone named V in 2009, the year of publication, and it has an original drawing of the fictional television talk show host. Offered...
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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #670
Saddle up for my entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #670 dated July 22, 2019. The drawing is by Brooke Bourgeois."I feel ridiculous without my lance."These captions needed a white...
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