Artist/Maker Barney Tobey (American, 1906 - 1989)

Study for cartoon: "It seems to me that you people could use a few X and R ratings!"

Black ink and wash, gouache, and graphite on paper

Sheet (irregular): 13 5/16 in. × 11 in. (33.8 × 27.9 cm)

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David M. Tobey

2015.40.6

The drawing belongs to a trove of works by Barney Tobey, including: 103 cartoons, many of which were published in The New Yorker; 29 preparatory watercolors for Ian Fleming’s Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang; an early oil painting; and a watercolor study for a painting of Astor Place. A native New Yorker, Barney Tobey was a prolific cartoon artist and illustrator. During his lifetime, Tobey designed four covers and more than 1,200 cartoons that were published in The New Yorker alone. His cartoons and covers also appeared in Collier’s Magazine, Saturday Evening Post, and Variety, among other periodicals. Magazine illustration was not his only form of artistic expression; his work also enlivened children’s books, such as Ian Fleming’s Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car and works by Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss), theater posters, stationery, and book covers.

InscribedBrown cover sheet inscribed: “It seems to me that you people could use a few X and R ratings! / 1/23/71”; main sheet inscribed at lower left: “BTOBEY–”; verso inscribed: “[New Yorker Magazine copyright 1970 stamp] / AE 9488 / [NEW YORKER EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT stamp] / Comb”; publication annotations

ClassificationsDRAWINGS