Artist/Maker
Barney Tobey
(American, 1906 - 1989)
Study for pp. 58–59 of "Ian Fleming's Story of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! The Magical Car"
Watercolor, gouache, and black ink on Bainbridge board
Unframed: 11 1/8 × 14 5/8 in. (28.3 × 37.1 cm)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David M. Tobey
2015.40.83.28
The watercolor 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.
Tobey’s work as a book illustrator is represented by his twenty-nine preparatory watercolor illustrations for Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car (Random House, 1968, which dates from the same year as the popular film adaptation starring Dick Van Dyke). The final printer’s color proofs were also given. Of the twenty-nine double-page spreads, all but two of the final studies are included in this group, one of which is the watercolor study for the front endpapers.
ClassificationsDRAWINGS
Barney Tobey
2015.40.83.7
Barney Tobey
2015.40.83.15
Barney Tobey
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Barney Tobey
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Barney Tobey
2015.40.83.22
Barney Tobey
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Barney Tobey
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Barney Tobey
2015.40.83.25
Barney Tobey
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Barney Tobey
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