Peter Arno: The Mad, Mad World of The New Yorker's Greatest Cartoonist

by Michael Maslin

The incredible, wild life of Peter Arno, the fabled cartoonist whose racy satire and bold visuals became the unforgiving mirror of his times and the foundation of the New Yorker cartoon.

In the summer of 1925, The New Yorker was struggling to survive its first year in print. They took a chance on a young, indecorous cartoonist who was about to give up his career as an artist. His name was Peter Arno, and his witty social commentary, blush-inducing content, and compositional mastery brought a cosmopolitan edge to the magazine’s pages—a vitality that would soon cement The New Yorker as one of the world’s most celebrated publications.

Alongside New Yorker luminaries such as E.B. White, James Thurber, and founding editor Harold Ross, Arno is one of the select few who made the magazine the cultural touchstone it is today. In this intimate biography of one of The New Yorker’s first geniuses, Michael Maslin dives into Arno’s rocky relationship with the magazine, his fiery marriage to the columnist Lois Long, and his tabloid-cover altercations involving pistols, fists, and barely-legal debutantes. Maslin invites us inside the Roaring Twenties’ cultural swirl known as Café Society, in which Arno was an insider and observant outsider, both fascinated and repulsed by America’s swelling concept of “celebrity.”

Through a nuanced constellation of Arno’s most defining experiences and escapades that inspired his work in the pages of The New Yorker, Maslin explores the formative years of the publication and its iconic cartoon tradition. In tandem, he traces the shifting gradations of Arno’s brushstrokes and characters over the decades—all in light of the cultural upheavals that informed Arno’s sardonic humor.

In this first-ever portrait of America’s seminal cartoonist, we finally come eye-to-eye with the irreverent spirit at the core of the New Yorker cartoon—a genre in itself—and leave with no doubt as to how and why this genre came to be embraced by the masses as a timeless reflection of ourselves.

Genres: Biography, Art, Nonfiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 2016

Reviews

[Jason Bergman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Arno was (and likely will always be remembered as) the greatest cartoonist ever to appear in The New Yorker. He was also, hard as it is to comprehend now, a major celebrity, appearing in society pages and gossip columns. A character like that would seem to lend itself to a pretty great biography, but alas, this one is just okay.

The first problem is one that any biography of a visual artist is going to encounter- there just isn't enough art here. For whatever reason, some of his cartoons are reprinted here, but none of his covers. And descriptions just don't do Arno's sublime work justice.

The second problem is that because so much time has passed, the sources are for the most part, second hand, or limited to newspaper articles or whatever correspondence Arno kept with others. That gives the whole thing a detached air, and while Maslin does a reasonably decent job of stringing together a timeline, there are gaps, simply because he didn't appear in the papers during that time. And Arno's correspondence was largely limited to contract negotiations, so there's a great deal about how much money he was asking for, but little about what he was actually doing during those times.

It's entirely possible that Maslin, a cartoonist himself, just wasn't up to the task of extrapolation needed to make a truly engaging book out of the disparate sources at his fingertips. Perhaps someone else will take a crack at it.

In the meantime, for anyone curious about the art of New Yorker cartooning (albeit an entirely different era), I would recommend Bob Mankoff's terrific How About Never—Is Never Good for You?: My Life in Cartoons over this one.

[David Macpherson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just didn't work for me. It is the biography of a seminal New Yorker cartoonist who had a crazed life, full of fights and drinking, and yet....the book was readable but boring. I guess the author didn't have a lot of source material to use so what he had he focused on, like Arno's fights with the New Yorker to get better ideas for his cartoons and more money. That seemed like a lot of the book. Maslin speaks well about technique of the cartoons but there isn't a lot of examples of Arno's work in the book, which might have helped. The book ended with an endless and tedious collection of New Yorker cartoonists writing about what Arno meant to them, and to many, he didn't mean a lot and they mentioned that. I didn't get through all the testimonials, I gave up.

[Phil Witte · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of The New Yorker would be incomplete without this fine biography of Peter Arno, one the pillars of that magazine's cartoon establishment from roughly the 1930s to 1950s. His cartoons were quintessentially of that time, featuring chorus girls, sugar daddies, and stuffed shirts, often seen in private clubs or upscale cocktail parties. The humor was urbane, which is to say, to the modern reader, not all that funny. But his artistry as a cartoonist was unmatched. He was the premier ink and brush cartoonist of his day. Sadly, few cartoonists today have the talent or inclination to create a drawing that even approaches the quality of an Arno cartoon. Cartoon historians and casual fans alike will enjoy this biography.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book contains some valuable information, but it's disappointing. Maslin relates the bare facts of Arno's life, but doesn't do enough to explain these facts. He tells us that both of Arno's marriages ended quickly, and that he pulled a gun on a doorman in 1947, but he doesn't give any insight into *why* these things happened. He did a lot of archival research and interviews, but he's unable to develop the information he collected into an interesting argument or narrative. Also, I wish the book had included a lot more of Arno's art.

[Jenny Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvelous peek into the world of cartooning at the early New Yorker. Written with verve and insight by cartoonist Michael Maslin who is passionate about this chapter in cartooning history. Delves into Arno's childhood family dynamics for the roots of his ambition and obsession with party girls and their sugar daddies. Repetitive in some sections, but moves at a good clip. Includes many iconic gags and covers by Arno and others.

[Lama · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent book, and a quick read.

To be honest, I had high expectations for this book, but i was utterly disappointed.
The first half, covering his early life was engaging.
However, the rest of the book focused mainly on his career and disputes with The New Yorker, While his personal life was barely touched upon.
The last couple of chapters were intriguing. His relationship with charlotte and her fondness for the memory of peter were endearing.

[Christopher Junker · Rating 3 out of 5]

For people raised with the New Yorker this is an enjoyable contribution to the history of the NYer though rather longer than it’s subject merits. The ideas for the cartoons mostly didn’t come from him and he doesn’t have much to say about the art, so other than his social life, there isn’t much to say.

[Dipra Lahiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amongst the greatest cartoonists ever, made a huge contribution in giving shape to the distinctive art and humor of the New Yorker. Lived a rumbustious life too, never strayed too far from the bright lights and pretty ladies.

[Antonio Depietro · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting book about a New Yorker cartoonist who was basically a rockstar of his time (1920s-50s). A little in the weeds and inside-ry about the New Yorker world and I wished it included more of his work but i found it fascinating and a real influence on MyWingman.

[David Rickert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring.

[Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review TK, but upshot: plodding, heavy on block quotes, either shallow or Arno just isn't that interesting.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Milky, unfulfilling bio of the iconic New Yorker cartoonist and man-about-town. Maslin chronicles Arno's life as if filling out a grocery shopping list, dutifully noting how many covers and cartoons he did during each year, and so forth. Not much depth. Despite Arno remaining an interesting character, the author manages to find the most bland, ill-fitting ways of describing his life. He also spend a lot of space describing art which isn't reproduced in the book. This slim volume wastes more space with an appendix of various current New Yorker artists writing on how influential (or non-influential, in some instances) Arno remains.

Those seeking out a fascinating bio on a famous New Yorker artist should seek out the far superior Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life (2006) by Linda H. Davis.

[James Crabtree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has looked at collections of the New Yorker’s cartoons (at least those dated from the 1920s to the 1960s) has seen Arno’s work. His cartoons are simple, yet bold, and are daring without being shocking. Of the artist himself I knew nothing until I read Maslin’s book.

And I am glad I did. Maslin’s writing is excellent, studying as it does both Arno’s artistic career and his personal life. Separately they’d be interesting, together they’re fascinating. Arno’s relationship with his father, his attempts at Broadway shows, his wartime work, his marriages, his finances and his short-lived band all make for great material, and Maslin pulls it all together to give the reader a feel for the man who didn’t just draw characters… he was one.

Arno's work is in many ways like Chas Addams. Not stylistically or in the type of humor, rather it is the same in that the TYPE of humor illustrated by each of the two artists became associated with the STYLE of the artist himself. Just as Addams' macabre sense of humor can be identified by the type of detailed, creepy pen and wash style Arno's lampoons of society are associated with his sharp lines and minimalist backgrounds.

Naturally, illustrated with Arno cartoons and some photographs.

[Ginni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Books like this are always tricky to rate. Like, as biographies of this particular cartoonist go, this is pretty exhaustive? I guess? But just as a biography/book in general, it's not super-interesting. The most interesting parts are the general looks at the period, the world of socialites and early cartoons where the guy who came up with the idea and the guy who drew it were separate. Arno himself was definitely a character, by all accounts, and was undeniably talented, but the written descriptions of his art get tedious (if someone is that interested, why don't they just go look at the actual artwork in one of his many books?), and his life simply wasn't that exciting.

(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)

[Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this is a solid book. It's well-researched and mostly well-written. There's a stretch near the end where things get a bit repetitive that an editor should've worked out with the author. Maslin studied Arno's life and work fully and is a professional peer (albeit in a different era) of the subject. I would give the book another star if there were more illustrations. It's a bit annoying when he launches into a discussion of a particular cartoon or cover and there is no reproduction of said image in the book. This forces the reader (at least one as OCD as I am) to break and find it online. I'd love to have seen this published as more of a coffee table/art book. Arno's work certainly deserves such treatment.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the art and humor of a great New Yorker cartoon. I own at least 10 books of cartoons and books about The New Yorker. This book fits into my collection. Arno's cartoons are in many books, I own 3. This is the first book dedicated to Peter Arno's biography.
It is well done and illuminates the man and his career. Maslin is a cartoonist and not dedicated to biography. The book lacks the rigour of the Saul Steinberg biography. I am desperate for information about Peter Arno and I enjoyed reading this book.

[Nate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to say I personally found this person very dull. Though Arno had a fun life, it wasn't an interesting one. He just partied and drew. It was most interesting to here about his conflicts with the New Yorker, and about the history of the art department. His life of mindless fun then somewhat solitude would've been completely ignored had he not been such a great artist. It was intriguing, yet disappointing that Arno didn't write his own jokes.

[Sarah Booth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a rare opportunity to step back in time to the start of The New Yorker Magazine and follow it's lead artist through his career. This is a great in depth look at a cartoonist and artist who defined a generation and made headlines with his life style which was the embodiment of the Jazz Age. Maslin does a superb job of bringing Arno to life and giving us insight to a bygone era.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.

This was OK but it seemed to bog down in minutia that was not really needed. I found myself bored at times.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The hstory of two icons (Peter Arno and The New Yorker) combining sophisticated forces. I enjoyed the ride






enjoyed

[Sally Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is for cartoon aficionados and New Yorker buffs. I had no complaints about it, just that, in the long run, Arno was a bit shallow, in the proto-Mad Men school.

[Ernest Hogan]

Behind the scenes with one of the all-time great cartoonists. I could not resist!