Sale 2526 - Illustration Art, December 10, 2019

244 c CHARLES ADDAMS. “Nevermore.” Cartoon for The New Yorker, published October 29, 1973, subsequently published in Favorite Haunts (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1976) and The World of Charles Addams (New York: Knopf, 1999). Watercolor, ink, and correction f luid on illustration board. 508x344 mm; 20x13 1 / 2 inches. Signed lower right, with New Yorker label taped to verso. Board slightly toned with age. [12,000/18,000] the iconic addams cartoon of edgar allan poe struggling to find the perfect voice for his famous narrative poem. “Nevermore” was, in fact, the first idea that cartoonist Jack Ziegler sold to the New Yorker. At that time, The New Yorker’s general editorial practice was to have staff cartoonists illustrate caption and concept submissions by other contributors. They brilliantly tasked Addams with this one. It was only later that year, when Lee Lorenz joined The New Yorker and invited Ziegler to contribute his own work, that he became a regular cartoonist. Provenance: Dona Guimaraes, The New York Times Magazine Home Section Editor and friend of Addams, to current owner.