Art by Charles Geer: THAT SUMMER WITH LEXY!

 

Here is another book with illustrations by Charles Geer (1922-2008). (Last time I showed you some of his work from the children's book THE MYSTERY AT REDTOP HILL.)

THAT SUMMER WITH LEXY by Audrey McKim was published in 1964 by Abingdon Press. It's copyright that year by the author. The dust jacket and cloth book cover utilize an exclamation point at the end of the title, but the interior title page drops it. 

Plot: Lexy O'Connor and her friend Patty are starting an unexciting summer vacation at home in Edmonton, Alberta, when they

"… decide to earn money for allowances during the school year. A White Elephant Sale ends in near disaster when a neighbor's wedding ring is sold; their house-to-house photography business almost collapses when two picture become police evidence. A lot happens, but it's all told in uninspired prose. The laugh possibilities in this string of misfortunes may hold the youngest members of the age group." -- Kirkus

Here are some of the drawings from the book, all drawn in that loose but confident style of Mr. Geer's which I admire. Mr. Geer was born in Long Island, served in the navy in World War II, and then studied at Pratt. He settled in Rockland, Maine. You can see his love of trees, rocks and water in these drawings.

-- This has been an edited version of an April 20, 2015 blog entry.

From the Dick Buchanan Files: Vintage Summer Gag Cartoons 1947 - 1964

I am away from my studio. In my stead, Dick Buchanan has compiled this grand collection of summer gag cartoons about the heat, ice cream, lawn mowing, boating, gardening and other summery events for your pleasure. Thanks and take it away, Dick!

---

VINTAGE SUMMER
Gag Cartoons 1947 - 1964


Cool off this summer with a look at summer’s past as illustrated by the cartoonists who witnessed it all from their drawing boards . . .


1. BO BROWN. American Magazine July, 1955.

2. BRAD ANDERSON. Collier’s July 20, 1953.

3. GREGORY d’ALLESSIO. Collier’s September 6, 1947.

 
4. ROBERT DAY. The Saturday Evening Post October 10, 1953.

 
5. CHON DAY. True Magazine July, 1954.

 

6. BOB BARNES. American Legion Magazine August, 1953.

7. WALTER GOLDSTEIN. The Saturday Evening Post June 11, 1955.

8. MORT WALKER. The Saturday Evening Post June 11, 1949.

 

 

9. SIDNEY HARRIS. True Magazine August, 1964.

 

 

10. ROBERT WEBER. Look Magazine September 8, 1964.

 
11. CLYDE LAMB. The Saturday Evening Post July 1, 1950.

12. PETER VATSURES. The Saturday Evening Post April 17, 1954.

 

13. BILL RUBLE. The Saturday Evening Post July 15, 1950.

 

14. DAVE LUCAS American Magazine July, 1950.

 

15. CHARLES STRAUS. The Saturday Evening Post July 10, 1948.

 

16. DANA FRADON. Collier’s August 19, 1955.

 

17. ROBERT KRAUS. This Week Magazine April 27, 1947.

 

18. WESLEY THOMPSON. 1000 Jokes magazine August - October, 1954.

 

19. JOHN GALLAGHER. True Magazine May, 1955.

 

20. BEN THOMPSON. American Legion Magazine July, 1955.

 -- Edited from a July 19, 2022 blog entry.

ART: The Boy Scouts of America Merit Badge Series of Booklets

From 1968, here's the ART booklet, in its entirety. It's one of The Boy Scouts of America Merit Badge Series of Booklets, designed to, of course, assist the young Scouts' earn their Badge. Above is the cover. Hey, we used to have a whole set of those Collier's encyclopedias in our house too!

This is a handy guide, full of information, and boy oh boy, did it make me angry!

Now, looky there. It was reprinted in 1998. Hoo boy. Why did they keep that 1968 boy on the cover? That kid would have been pushing 40 by the time this was reprinted. Also: no mention of the mere existence of the Web, the Internet, that series of tubes or whatever, y'know? Even by 1998, that's a pretty big omission. (The BSA site, according to the Wayback Machine, would not even be in existence until 2000.)

Oh, and there's a typo on the page above, left hand side. Hoo boy.

This is where I started to get just a wee bit steamed. This 2 page spread which opens the official BSA ART pamphlet asks "What Is Art?"

Two pages devoted to defining what this book is about.

And the answer is ...


Even though "the question has occupied the thoughts of philosophers ever since man began to think" the Scouts "will not give an answer in this pamphlet." OK, that's a cop out.

And here's a comic strip drawn by ... well, we don't know WHO drew it. Having your art published without a credit is a "clear story of frustration and disappointment," isn't it? Maybe there will be a credit at the end of this publication. Crossing fingers and toes ....

Scouts revere Rockwell. He may have been one of "America's greatest artists" (we cannot say for sure since there is no answer to "what is art?"), but it should be pointed out that he was foremost a commercial artist who painted that nice scoutmaster for money. The above painting was used for a scoutmaster handbook cover for years.

There is good advice here: show your story, don't tell it.

The uncredited drawing of that chiaroscuro scout and the black blob that's supposed to be a tent disturbs me.

OK, I'll try not to interrupt. 

Can anyone make out the signature above? I'm lost.

Above: even more Rockwell.

Above right: some great spot illustrations.

And this is what REALLY peeves me: no credit at all for the cartoon strip, the spot illustrations or anything other than the photos. The photos get credit in the book about art -- but the artists (except Rockwell) get no recognition.

-- This has been an edited entry of an original blog thingy that appeared way back on September 1, 2011.

 

EDIT: Thanks to Smurfswacker for IDing one of the artists: "The Indian drawing is by Tom Scheuer. He's the ex-comic book and advertising artist who as Tom Sawyer became a big time TV writer and producer (most notably 'Murder, She Wrote')."