Tuesday, July 28, 2020

In Days Gone By: Family Sailing



This 1942 cover of The New Yorker passed through Facebook and merits a repost here. It shows the outdated concept, that the whole family must indeed go sailing together, a concept common in mid 20th century sailing culture. The cover is a parody of family sailing, something that most likely escaped the general readership of The New Yorker at the time. For Dear Old Dad has decided this racing boat (most likely a Star) is the proper family boat, even though it is laid over on her ear and wife, and son, and daughter are stacked in vain as the lee rail is well awash. Dad is having a grand time. The others??

Eleven years ago, I wrote about this very same scenario from personal experience.

Over the years I have also sprinkled a series of Earwigoagin posts about sailing with Parents and Kids.

Can anyone tell me who the artist was on this cover?

Update August 1: From a comment from an anonymous reader; the artist was famed cartoonist Perry Barlow.



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

More likely they are sailing a 210.

Anonymous said...

Cartoonist is Perry Barlow

Tweezerman said...

Thanks Anon. Further research shows that marine photographer Peter Barlow is the son of Perry Barlow, who contributed over a thousand cartoons and 134 covers to The New Yorker. Your speculation that the sailing craft that Perry Barlow featured on his cover drawing was a 210 doesn't match the dates. The 210 was designed in 1946, the cover has a date of 1942. The Star did have a double spreader rig in the 1930's, which is shown in the drawing and was popular in Long Island, where Perry lived. Also the hiking style of lying half-in, half-out on the gunwhale was very Star-like at the time.