First & Last…Chon Day… A series of quick looks at an artist’s very first New Yorker cartoon and their last
Most cartoonist’s styles begin one way and end another (there’re exceptions, always exceptions!). Case in point in the change column is Chon Day. His first New Yorker cartoon below, published in 1931, looks nothing like his last, published in 1998. For those who recall Mr. Day’s work, it’s more likely you’ll think of his ultra simple line work than the sketchy look of his first New Yorker cartoon (even that last drawing seems a bit complex compared to the work appearing in the meaty part of Day’s long (sixty-seven year) New Yorker career.
When I was researching Peter Arno, and looking into Richard McCallister, “The King Of Gag Writers,” I discovered that the cartoonist second in line to Arno, once Arno had rejected a McCallister idea, was Chon Day. Now that may seem odd, considering the dramatic difference in a Peter Arno drawing and a Chon Day drawing, but it really does speak to the flexibility (and durability) of a very good caption.
For me, Day’s later work fit far more comfortably in the Thurber school than the Arno school (I’m speaking of the graphic nature of his work, not so much what the cartoons were about). Day’s line work was, however, highly controlled compared to Thurber’s. Every Day line had its place, and there was a place for every line. I think too that there is a bit of legacy for his style. I see traces of it — that controlled simplicity — in many of my contemporary colleague’s work.
Here’s Chon Day’s first New Yorker drawing, published in the issue of June 6, 1931:
And here’s his last, published August 17, 1998:
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Mr. Day’s A-Z Entry:
Chon Day (Photo from This Week anthology, 1954; self portrait above from Collier’s Collects Its Wits) Born April 6, 1907, Chatham , NJ. Died January 1, 2000, Rhode Island. New Yorker work: 1931 – 1998. Collection: I Could Be Dreaming (Robert M. McBride & Co., 1945)