Joseph Conrad

Ralph Barton prints capture the wit and sparkle of 1920s New York. Barton was an American cartoonist and caricaturist whose drawings of actors, writers and society figures were in huge demand throughout the Jazz Age, appearing in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and Harper's Bazaar. This collection gathers art prints of his celebrity caricatures, theater programs, magazine cartoons and illustrations full of elegant, playful line.

About Ralph Barton

Ralph Barton was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on 14 August 1891, the youngest of four children; his mother was a portrait painter who ran an art studio. By his mid-teens his cartoons were appearing in Kansas City newspapers. He left high school, spent a few unhappy months at the Art Institute of Chicago, and returned home to work for the papers.

In 1912 he sold a drawing to the humor magazine Puck and moved to New York, sharing a studio with the painter Thomas Hart Benton, whose portrait was his first caricature. In 1915 Puck sent him to France to sketch the First World War, and he fell in love with French life, returning to Paris often; in 1927 France awarded him the Legion of Honour.

Barton drew for The New Yorker from its first issue in 1924, as well as for Vanity Fair, Collier's, Photoplay, Judge and Harper's Bazaar, and he illustrated Anita Loos's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. He married four times, including the actress Carlotta Monterey and the composer Germaine Tailleferre. Struggling with bipolar disorder, he took his own life in New York on 19 May 1931, aged 39.

Style and Subjects

Barton's caricatures are elegant and economical. With a few sure, flowing lines and touches of color he could capture the pose, profile and personality of a star, exaggerating just enough to be funny without being cruel.

His subjects were the famous people of the 1920s: Broadway actors and producers, film stars, writers, musicians and politicians, from Charlie Chaplin and Lillian Gish to Sigmund Freud and Pablo Picasso. He was especially admired for large group drawings, such as a famous theater curtain showing an audience of 139 celebrity faces.

Famous Works

• Chauve-Souris program (1922). A program design for the popular Russian revue on Broadway.
• Theater curtain for a 1922 revue. A painted "audience" of 139 famous faces looking back at the real theatergoers.
• Carl Van Vechten (1923). A caricature of the writer and photographer.
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1925). His illustrations for Anita Loos's bestselling comic novel.
• Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne (1930). The famous Broadway acting couple.
• Self-Portrait. The artist's own witty likeness.

Decorating with Barton Prints

Barton's caricatures are a natural choice for a home bar, media room, study or entryway with a playful, vintage feel. Their crisp black lines and soft colors look great in thin black or gold frames, especially hung in a group.

Theater lovers will enjoy his Broadway stars and programs in a living room or reading corner, and his New York cartoons bring Jazz Age humor to a home office.

FAQ

Who was Ralph Barton?

Ralph Barton was an American cartoonist and caricaturist of the 1920s, famous for his drawings of actors, writers and other celebrities in magazines such as The New Yorker and Vanity Fair.

What is Ralph Barton known for?

He is best known for his caricatures of Jazz Age celebrities and his illustrations for Anita Loos's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. He was also an advisory editor of The New Yorker from its beginning in 1924.

How can you recognize a Ralph Barton caricature?

Look for elegant, flowing lines, light touches of color and gently exaggerated features that capture a famous person's pose and personality at a glance.

Did Ralph Barton make a film?

Yes. Encouraged by his friend Charlie Chaplin, he made a short film version of Camille, featuring well-known friends such as Paul Robeson, Ethel Barrymore and Sinclair Lewis.

Why is Ralph Barton less well known today?

Although his work was in great demand in the 1920s, he died young in 1931, and his work was largely forgotten soon after. Interest in him has grown again in recent decades.

Related Artists

• John Held Jr. — fellow Jazz Age illustrator of flappers and New York life
• Leonetto Cappiello — Paris-based master of witty poster and caricature art
• Thomas Hart Benton — his studio-mate in New York and subject of his first caricature