Do you think there’s any improvement in basic conditions?

Do you think there’s any improvement in basic conditions?
Do you think there’s any improvement in basic conditions?

Do you think there’s any improvement in basic conditions?

Datenot dated
Artist (American illustrator and cartoonist, 1899–1978)
Illustration CitationDate and place of publication not identified.
MediumInk, watercolor, and gouache on paper
Dimensionssheet: 19 7/8 × 15 in. (50.5 × 38.1 cm)
Credit LineAcquisition Fund, 2012
Object number2012-32
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextIn this cartoon, Barbara Shermund depicts a well-dressed woman questioning a Depression-era man forced to sell apples on the street next to a trash can about the economy. Her elaborate clothing emphasizes her status, and his open mouth indicates his shock at her cluelessness. Although Shermund often drew independent women who broke social barriers, she also skewered ladies who acted mindlessly, such as the speaker here.

One of the first female cartoonists at The New Yorker, Shermund contributed almost 600 cartoons and eight covers to the magazine from its founding year of 1925 through 1944. She also worked for several other book publishers and magazines, including Esquire.



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