My favorite cartoonist from the early days of The New Yorker was a woman named Barbara Shermund, her self portrait is above. Originally from California, she moved to New York and started as a cover artist in 1925, the year The New Yorker began publication. Then she very soon found her way to writing and drawing cartoons, as well as continuing with covers and spot drawings. Her style and her voice at times was feminist, and my image of her was that of a flapper—free spirited and opinionated.
Below are a few cartoons of hers, which is only a small sample. You can see her drawing style changed a bit over time—she seemed to like to try new things out. Also another thing I admire about her— a willingness to experiment!
I wish I could have met Barbara.
My new book has more about Barbara! You can pre-order signed copies here.
These are wonderful. Why is she your favorite, as opposed to, say, Helen Hokinson?