Robert James Day (September 25, 1900 – February 7, 1985) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...

and book

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

. Day studied at the Otis Art Institute in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

between 1919 and 1927, while also on staff at the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

''. Day was a long-time contributor to ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', with his work appearing from September 1931 to May 24, 1976, including eight covers."Robert Day, 84, Dead; New Yorker Cartoonist,"
''New York Times'' (FEB. 12, 1985). According to ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'', he specialized in satirizing " heso-called athletic pursuits, nd alsothe foibles of war and peace." His ''All Out for the Sack Race'' (Random House, 1945) collected many of his ''New Yorker'' cartoons. Day illustrated '' Fun Fare; a Treasury of Reader's Digest Wit and Humor''. The original 1949 edition was published by '' Reader's Digest'' in collaboration with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with 5 ...

. The original edition of ''Fun Fare'' comprised 300 pages of short comic stories illustrated in color by Day. The book was still one of the best-selling general titles three years later in 1952.''The Publishers Weekly'' - Volume 161 1952- Page 214 "With both Pocket Books and hardcover publishers' sales, these titles are among the leaders of the year: "Diet Does It," "Fun Fare," selected by the editors of Reader's Digest (Simon and Schuster) with a combined sale of 177,685 copies,"

Bibliography

: ''As illustrator, unless otherwise noted'' * ''All Out for the Sack Race'' (Random House, 1945) — Day's ''New Yorker'' cartoons * (written by

Hildegarde Dolson Hildegarde Dolson Lockridge (1908–1981) was a prolific writer whose career spanned nearly fifty years. Her work appeared in major magazines, plus she was the author of fifteen books—all published under her maiden name of Hildegarde Dolson. E ...

) ''We Shook the Family Tree: A Bumper Crop of Fun'' (1946) *'' Fun Fare; a Treasury of Reader's Digest Wit and Humor'' ( Reader's Digest, 1949) — selected in collaboration with

. Cover illustration signed ''Robt Day'' * (written by

Arthur Godfrey Arthur Morton Godfrey (August 31, 1903 – March 16, 1983) was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname The Old Redhead. At the peak of his success, in the early-to-mid 1950s, Godf ...

) ''Stories I Like to Tell'' (Simon & Schuster, 1952) * (written by Leo Rosten) ''Rome Wasn't Burned in a Day: The Mischief of Language'' (Doubleday, 1972)

References

1900 births 1985 deaths American cartoonists The New Yorker cartoonists Otis College of Art and Design alumni People from San Bernardino, California Artists from California {{US-cartoonist-stub