Life, 1929-05-03 · page 24 of 44
Life — May 3, 1929 — page 24: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the annual Illustrator's Ball—a prestigious New York event for artists and editors. Life mocks the event's pretensions by revealing that of two actual artists who attended, one merely drew cartoons for the *New Yorker* and the other was just an interior decorator. The humor targets celebrated artists who *almost* attended (Barney Gallant, Clare Briggs, James Montgomery Flagg, Dean Cornwell) but were prevented by mundane circumstances—suggesting their importance was overstated. The anecdotes mock attendees' behavior: a drunk talking to himself, confused guests sent to wrong rooms, a nun's "transparent robes." References to figures like Haywood Broun (newspaper columnist), Walter Winchell (gossip columnist), and costumes evoking Spanish inquisitions and Arabian sheikhs reveal the ball's affected sophistication. The satire essentially argues: the art world's elite gathering was less impressive than advertised, populated by poseurs and mediocrities rather than genuine talent.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Tllustrator’s Ball Arabian sheik, Haywood Broun Spanish leon who intended going as St. John Irvine mill HIS being the Aviation number but was detained at the Dizzy club, Talk about floor we shall talk about the Ilustra- and Walter Winchell who was all your Spanish belli tor’s Ball... well, you ask, ready to go as a newspaper man but Inq ui si- puls what has got caught in a transom. tions! . . . did chai the Illustra- you ever drop out. tor’s Ball into Brooks’ on histe got to do Half Shots the afternoon poor with avia- . < of a costume year: tion? ... High lights of the Ball... the ball? .. . the thin; well, snap drunk who stood in the corner all eve- place is so coat <\ ping right Ming talking to himself and suddenly thick with Ner back at you, turned to me and muttered apologeti- matadors and what has Cally, “I hope you don’t mind if I talk cghalleros it F the Illustra. ‘© myself. I like to talk to myself. Jooks like a an tor’s Ball | don’t have to answer back.” . . . the holiday in old Bu got to do Party who were told to go to Room = Madrid, what with illus. 703, for champagne and when they it is hammered expectantly on the door : of it trators? aroused Mr. Zilch of Dubuque... History sider the nun with the transparent robes. Why are costume balls anyway? will . . . why do people doll themselves up futur Ninety and Nine For the benefit of those who came in late we will state that the annual Illustrator’s Ball was held not so long ago at the Wal- dorf Astoria and was attended by two (count 'em) artists and nine thousand art editors and adver- tising men... later reports showed that one of the two ar- tists wasn’t an artist at all but drew pictures for the New Yorker ...and come to find out the other fellow was an in- terior decorator. Celebrities However many celebrated artists and writers almost got there... Barney Gallant, who wanted to go as Civic Virtue but was held up, Clare Briggs who almost went as a monk, James Mont- gomery Flagg who came near going as Frank Godwin, Dean in historic, or rather hysteric, habili- Cornwell who just missed out as an Picture Puzzle—\ Find the artist comicbooks.com