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In today’s The New Yorker, stand-alone cartoons continue to be used loved women of the sort she portrayed,” as reported by R.C. Harvey in
as its own form of content. The editor(s) who are charged with selecting The Comics Journal.
cartoons of commentary on current news or trends take their task very Other names that contributed to the magazine over its long tenure
seriously. Not only do they select “winners” on a daily basis, but they include Barry Blitt, Julian De Miskey, Alice Harvey, Georgia O’Keefe,
act as foster illustrators to those who show promise. Garrett Price, Perry Barlow, Mary Petty, Françoise Mouly, Frank
Model, George Booth, and William Steig (also the creator of Shrek).
The Talk Just google any of these names for great examples of The New Yorker’s
One of the view of the world.
earliest and
most influen- Thurber, James: “Did your wife study humor, Mr. Noyes, or does it just
tial columns come to her?” original pen-and-ink drawing signed “James Thurber,”
was (eventually) 1930s. Estimate: $3,000-5,000, sold for $9,600 at Sotheby’s in 2007
called “The
Talk of the
Town,” sharing
the news and
information
that most often
turned a New
Yorker’s head.
“Talk” mixed
the notes of the
week with care-
fully construc-
ted illustrations
drawn to drive
home a particu-
lar point.
The column But perhaps one of the most popular New Yorker writer/illustrators
proved to be so who went on to make a well-known literary career from illustrative
popular that by writing was James Thurber. Originally hired as Managing Editor
May of 1928, it (“Writers are a dime a dozen, Thurber,” said Ross when making the hire),
commanded a Thurber was able to secure a more-desired writing position when Ross
full five pages of realized his mistake just five months later.
editorial space As for his loose style of illustrating, a former foe-turned-fan led the
in every weekly
From “The True History of Eustace Tilley” issue. The pur- charge for his artwork to appear on the pages of The New Yorker – “It
By R.C. Harvey, Aug 31, 2017 pose was to was White who fished a selection of Thurber’s doodles out of the garbage
offer advice on what popular entertainment event was worth viewing, and first showed them to the magazine’s art department, and it was White
who helped Thurber develop his style as a humorist,” according to a 2010
share light news reports, and of course comment on society through gos- article in The New Yorker.
sip. The column did not have a byline, preferring to suggest that all infor- “I don’t think any drawing ever took me more than three minutes,”
mation came from well-placed “insiders” who could scoop a story taking James Thurber once said of his work. His comic writings—stories, por-
place just about anywhere in the city. traits, sketches, parodies, memoirs—spare no one, least of all himself.
The Magazine also offered a number of quips throughout its pages
called “Comments,” or really humorous asides placed as a callout within a
fact-based or fictitious article, often accompanied by an illustration. These Collecting
were written by editorial staff – anonymously. The New Yorker has always been collectable just as National
Geographic has always been collectible. Every issue had items of interest
to the reader, and presented something to read again and again to gain
Those Great Early Illustrators more and more insight into the World of New York or, in the case of
The artists who established the style of illustration that would drive The National Geographic, the planet and its many wonders. Issues in good
New Yorker forward as a must-see magazine for all New Yorkers set a tone condition can sell for anywhere from $20 to into the thousands.
of understated irony. Rea Irvin’s first Original illustrative art is highly collectible. Individual stand-alone
cover portrayed the New Yorker as original art can be found for as low as $50 and as high as $5,000,
Eustace Tilley. She went on to create the whereas original cover art prices tend to sell for $2,000-$3,000 with the
masthead for “Talk of the Town.” high end being $9,000-$10,000, depending upon the artist and the
Johan Bull was first to illustrate the copy image and its condition.
with drawings focused on the “point” of To gather more
the commentary using a wry approach. insight into the world
Peter Arno and Helen Hokinson of The New Yorker
lent a more conservative tone to their cartoons, check out
illustrations, preferring to show attrac- the New Yorker’s
tive people in fashionably correct Cartoon Desk online
settings. Arno’s sharp lines and ability to at newyorker.com/
put noses in the air made him a favorite cartoons/cartoon-
for many years, with his focus on the desk
more testosterone-driven humor of
male New Yorkers. Hokinson tended to Editor’s Note: I encourage
work on “women (who) appeared readers to seek out Defining
slightly befuddled, but Hokinson never “Funny, I’ve been entertaining the “What I’m really looking for is some little investment New Yorker Humor by
ridiculed her creations for their inability same wild hope.” that won’t keep bobbing up and down.” Judith Yaross Lee to be
to grasp the utilitarian world. … She Illustration by Peter Arno Illustration by Helen Hokinson fully “in the know.”

28 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles