Tilting at Windmills: George Booth Proposed New Yorker Cover Art

Four New Yorker magazine cover pitches by George Booth are under glass together at the Society of Illustrators, part of the current exhibition "George Booth—A Cartoonist's Life" curated by J. J. Sedelmaier. The first, sketched on a paper dinner napkin, depicts an extreme sporting event. The next shows a friendly, undersea encounter between a dolphin and a scuba diver. It is a simple composition with elegant, flowing lines. A collaged cover proposal goes after an enormous problem in insect control. Finally there is a reworked image of Don Quixote from June of 2004, here redrawn, we are told, with a more dramatic sun and with the suggestion to the art editor that additional windmills could be added to represent the trouble spots of Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea. Yes, George Booth doesn't fear the political scene.

Note:  "George Booth—A Cartoonist's Life" remains on view at the Society of Illustrators in New York through December 30, 2017. On Wednesday evening November 8th the Society will host "An Evening with George Booth." Admission is by ticket. Come by and say hi to Mr. Booth. Say hi to me too. I'll likely be wearing a suit and pestering the cartoonists.

The artwork shown here is from the George Booth Collection. This blog could always use a few more scans or photos of original art by the cartoonist. Published obscurities are welcome too.


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