Here’s an interesting little booklet from the Spill’s archives (little as in 5″ x 8″ and just 97 pages), but there’s so much within. The chapter “The New Yorker Cartoon and Modern Graphic Humor” by M. Thomas Inge is especially of interest, for obvious reasons. Mr. Inge provides a survey of the magazine’s art from inception through to the beginnings of the Lee Lorenz era (although that era is mentioned only briefly at the end). I’ve re-read this chapter from time-to-time, and each time some quote stands out a little bit more than on previous run-throughs. In this morning’s reading was this one, which sounds as though it could’ve been written by James Thurber:
“It was under Ross’s eccentric but superb editorship from the beginning until his death in 1951 that the New Yorker cartoon was formulated and achieved its definitive and influential form. As was true with the entire premise for the magazine, what was wanted was vaguely somewhere in Ross’s mind.”
And this:
“…the truth is that The New Yorker has served primarily as a vehicle for major comic talents to develop their individual styles and distinctive visions.”
Well said, Mr. Inge. If the New Yorker hadn’t provided its artists a home to develop their styles we would have missed out on a truckload of incredible comic worlds (“visions”) through the decades (Jack Ziegler’s world over these past 43 years comes to mind as do so many other worlds provided by Mr. Ziegler’s cartoon colleagues).
Here’s the table of contents from the booklet. If you can get hold of a copy you won’t be disappointed. 