Peter Arno (1904–1968)

This is probably the best collection of Peter Arno's comic panels that I have seen, most of which are from the "New Yorker". Each page is a well-reproduced single panel, and there are a few instances of Arno's "pure" art. The panels are from 1925 to 1968, well-chosen (not a clunker in the bunch, and many outright gems) superb pokes at the foibles and follies of contemporary society - particularly Society, capitalized.

An early collection of Arno's work; if you compare it to his later cartoons, you can see both how the art evolved, and how the gag-lines developed. Early on, there's still a few of the multi-line gag lines existing. It's also perhaps a bit racier (and cruder) than some of his more sophisticated later efforts.

Peter Arno was one of the better panel cartoonists in the first half of the century. Some of these cartoons are so dated that I can't decipher the humor. Others could have been created by the most macabre of the modern cartoonists - for example, the first one in which one palace eunuch says to another, "Have I ever told you about my operation?" The cartoons cover a wide range, are usually quite funny, and paint an illuminating portrait of society life back then. Recommended.

A collection of 1940s Arno cartoons, which means a lot of sly humour and beautiful draughtsmanship. Not much more needs to be said.