Thursday, March 08, 2012

Less is more: Cartoons of Chon Day

Chauncey Addison Day, who drew cartoons for years under the name Chon Day, was an expert at drawing gags. His skill was in being able to tell a joke with economy, make it instantly recognizable as to place and setting, and then land a solid punch-line. I never saw a Day cartoon that didn't have tons of craft behind it, but still made it look easy.

Day, who was born in 1907 and died in 2000, was a master whose work appeared for decades in major American magazines. Nowadays the market for gag cartoons has shrunk to the point that I wonder if anyone but a select few can make a living at it. Just a few years ago there were many people who appeared regularly in many markets, but hardly any as consistently as Chon Day.

These cartoons are from The New Yorker. They are Copyright © 1953, 1954, 2012 The New Yorker.

More Day cartoons can be found at the excellent site, Mike Lynch Cartoons.
















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2 comments:

  1. Kirk5:47 PM

    Classic stuff. As a fan of comic art in all its' myriad forms, it's a shame that the single panel cartoon no longer dominates the culture as it once did.

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  2. Postino5:51 PM

    It's more important than ever to remember and recognize cartoonists like Day.

    I subscribe to the New Yorker, for the cartoons as well as the articles. It gives me access to their archives, and except for Playboy, I can hardly think of a richer one in the past few decades.

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