The Two Thurber Originals at The Society of Illustrators “Drawn From The New Yorker: A Centennial Celebration” Exhibit
If you’re in New York City, here’s your chance to see two original Thurber drawings. As wonderful as it is to see a Thurber drawing in print, seeing one (or in this case, two) in-person is quite a treat. They appear as part of The Society of Illustrators must-see exhibit celebrating The New Yorker‘s 100th birthday. Surrounding the Thurbers are well over a hundred other original pieces by most of The New Yorker‘s greatest artists, from the magazine’s first year all the way up to the present day.
The drawing directly below (from the collection of Stephen M. Nadler, MD. and Ellen H. Kavee, MD.) appeared in The New Yorker September 24, 1932, with the caption, “Then I get this feeling that my feet are trying to tell me something but can’t.” (More here on Dr. Nuss).
The below drawing, from the permanent collection of the Society, is not captioned. It’s the largest Thurber original I’ve ever seen (3′ 5″ x 4′ 3″).
In the below photo (courtesy of Feggo) taken at the “Drawn From” opening last week you get an idea of just how large the Thurber is.
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James Thurber’s A-Z Entry:
James Thurber Born, Columbus, Ohio, December 8, 1894. Died 1961, New York City. New Yorker work: 1927 -1961, with several pieces run posthumously. According to the New Yorker’s legendary editor, William Shawn, “In the early days, a small company of writers, artists, and editors — E.B. White, James Thurber, Peter Arno, and Katharine White among them — did more to make the magazine what it is than can be measured.”
Key cartoon collection: The Seal in the Bedroom and Other Predicaments (Harper & Bros., 1932). Key anthology (writings & drawings): The Thurber Carnival (Harper & Row, 1945). There have been a number of Thurber biographies. Burton Bernstein’s Thurber (Dodd, Mead, 1975) and Harrison Kinney’s James Thurber: His Life and Times (Henry Holt & Co., 1995) are essential. Website.