The Lost Art of George Wachsteter

"Caricatures by WACHSTETER"

 "George Wachsteter (1911–2004) was at one time considered one of the most prominent and in-demand caricaturists working in the country. From the 1930's to the 1960's he drew theatrical, radio, television and film related images extensively for most of the major New York newspapers, including the Times, the Herald Tribune, the Journal- American, the World-Telegram, as well as for the 3 major radio and television networks. A gradual loss of his vision ended his drawing career prematurely in the late 1960's and he lived in relative obscurity with his wife (who died in the early '80s) in Elmhurst Queens till his death in 2004. Next to Al Hirschfeld, who he alternated with in the NY Times for over a decade, Wachsteter was one of the most visible American caricaturists working during the '40s, '50s and into the '60s. 

George Wachsteter, 1939

Today, his work is almost completely forgotten. Not one single book on the history of caricature deign to mention George Wachsteter, and very few of his drawings can be found online. But through the efforts of the great caricaturist and caricaturist historian Zach Trenholm who in 2002 made a pilgrimage to visit the forgotten, near-blind widower near his home,  GW-S's work should (hopefully) once again take it's rightful place among the other greats of 20th century caricature. Many of these beautiful, humorous drawings featuring GW-S's streamlined and always elegant line work are from Zach's personal collection. So if the work of George Wachsteter is new to you (which I assume it will be) I hope you enjoy!

All about the huge "Lost Drawings of George Wachsteter" Auction coming up on 3/24/13:
http://drewfriedman.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-lost-drawings-of-george-wachsteter.html

Joe E. Brown

Wachsteter's "Oklahoma", cover for the NY Times Art's & Leisure section, 1945

Eddie Cantor, The Colgate Comedy Hour

Humphrey Bogart

George S. Kaufman

George S. Kaufman

Ted Mack

Ernie Ford paintings

Benny Goodman

Charles Laughten

pencil sketch of Betty Hutton

Cast of The Honeymooners

Basil Rathbone and Jack Carson featured in Huckleberry Finn

Cast of Father Knows Best

A Pocket Book by Earl Wilson from 1957, featuring a cover and interior caricatures by GW-S. I've owned this book for decades, and for years this was the lone work of GW-S's I was aware of.

rough art

Chapter heading caricatures from the book:
 Bob Hope

Arlene Francis

"Tennessee" Ernie Ford

Dinah Shore

Milton Berle

Gisele MacKenzie

Steve Allen

Groucho Marx

Eddie Fisher

George Gobel

Dave Garroway

Judy Garland

...and on the cover of TV Times. GW-S did many covers that were syndicated around the country to various newspaper's Sunday TV supplements.

"The Ed Sullivan show"

My Little Margie

The Honeymooners

Betty Hutton

 Steve Allen

My 3 Sons

A Bell for Adano

The Wizard of Oz

Victor Borge

Art Carney as Charlie's Aunt

Perry Como

The B&W version

Jimmy Durante

Newspaper promotion for "Summer on Ice",
featuring Peter Lawford and Peggy Lee 

WachSteter did many, many covers for the "New York Journal American Sunday Pictorial and TView Section" (quite a mouthful) Here's a selection...

Ethel Merman and Richard Rodgers "The Man they Love" (no, not Ernest Borgnine)

Alfred Drake and Patricia Morrison, "Kiss Me Kate"

Mary Martin

Gene Barry as Bat Masterson

"The Nurses"

Jerry Lewis, Gary Moore

Edie Adams & Ernie Kovacs

"Having Fun on the Range"

Rod Serling, "The Twilight Zone"

"I'm Dickens, He's Fenster", John Astin, Marty Ingels (1963)

Carol Burnett, Bob Newhart, and Caterina Valente from "The Entertainers" (1964)

Zero Mostel and cast in "Fiddler on the Roof"(1964)

The Munsters

The Umbrella's of Cherbourg (1965)

From 1966 and one of GW-S's later drawings:
 Jerry Lewis and Tony Curtis in "Boeing, Boeing"...

...and this spanish poster for the film. GW-S did not illustrate this, rather, someone in the art dept used (traced) his art and turned it into their color poster. Was GW-S was paid for it's usage?  Anyone's guess.

In 2011, Shout Factory released the DVD box set "The Ernie Kovacs Collection", which included in the booklet this Wachsteter drawing of Edie Adams and Ernie Kovacs

This exhibition of George Wachsteter's work was held posthumously in 2008 at Wartburg College in Waverly, IA.

This was the publicity text announcing the show:

March 18, 2008

WAVERLY, Iowa- The Waldemar A. Schmidt Gallery of Wartburg College will present “The Lost Drawings of George Wachsteter: A 30 Year Retrospective.”

The exhibit is open through April 12. Gallery hours are 9 to 7 p.m. daily, and admission is free.

A lecture on the exhibition by Matthew Wilson, art gallery director, will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, March 28, in the gallery. A reception will follow.

New York illustrator and caricaturist George Wachsteter drew for The New York Times, New York Herald, New York World Telegram and NBC, ABC and CBS radio and television networks from 1937 through 1967. He was considered one of the nation’s most prodigious theatrical caricaturists during the 1940s and 1950s.

Wachsteter lost his vision in the 1960s, which ended his drawing career. His life works, including paintings, sketches and drawings, were found in boxes after his death in 2004. Wilson worked with Wachsteter’s family and estate to archive the collection for this exhibition.

Among the pieces in “Lost Drawings” are drawings and watercolors of performers like Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Humphrey Bogart, Jackie Gleason, Bob Hope, Milton Berle, Jerry Lewis, Marilyn Monroe, Zero Mostel, Louis Armstrong, Ed Sullivan and Johnny Carson.

Caricaturist Zach Trenholm meets caricaturist George Wachsteter in Elmhurst Queens in 2002

 Wachsteter's's biography from an edition of "Who's Who":


Birth: March 12, 1911 in Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Occupation: Illustrator

Family: s. Josef and Therese (Weiss) W.; m. Thelma Altshuler, July 29, 1939 (dec. 1991). Education: ed., Hartford,. Addresses: Home, 85-05 Elmhurst Ave, Elmhurst, NY, 11373-3357.

Positions Held: syndicated feature illustrator, Hallmark TV Drama Series, 1964-69; drama artist, N.Y. World Telegram, 1964-66; artist TV mag. covers, Hearst Syndicate, 1963-65; artist TV mag. covers, N.Y. Jour. Am., 1958-63; featured drama artist, N.Y. Jour. Am., 1956-63; artist TV section, N.Y. Times, 1950-51; caricaturist, Theatre Guild On The Air, U.S. Steel, 1945-63; contbr. illustration and caricature to drama and polit. pages, N.Y. Times, 1938-50; weekly illustrator and caricature to drama pages, N.Y. Herald Tribune, 1941-50; illustrator, CBS, NBC, ABC Radio and TV Networks, 1937-70; illustrator, Major Advt. Agys, Theatre and Motion Picture Prodns., 1936.

Illustrator, caricaturist (book) NBC Book of Stars, 1957; portrait Taft Meml. Fund Campaign, 1956; numerous work in pub. and pvt. collections.

George Wachsteter, 2002: Photo by Zach Trenholm

Thanks to Leonard Maltin and Steve Cox. Very special thanks to Zach Trenholm