Arnold Roth
Encyclopedia
Arnold Roth is an American
freelance cartoonist
and illustrator for advertisements, album covers, books, magazines and newspapers.
Novelist John Updike
wrote, "All cartoonists are geniuses, but Arnold Roth is especially so."
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, Roth graduated in 1950 from the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art (now the University of the Arts) and began freelancing in 1951.
The following year, he married Caroline Wingfield, and the couple later moved to New York City. They have two sons, Charles and Adam.
Roth's art is in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Cartoon Art (San Francisco), Philadelphia's Rosenbach Museum and Library and the Karikature and Cartoon Museum (Basel, Switzerland), plus many private collections.
His traveling solo exhibition, Free Lance, A Fifty Year Retrospective (2001-04), was seen in Philadelphia, Columbus, San Francisco, New York City, London and Basel. He has staged solo exhibitions at the Philadelphia Print Club, University of the Arts, New York's Century Association and Swarthmore College.
In addition to his artwork, Roth plays the saxophone.
and his artwork has appeared in TV Guide
, Sports Illustrated
and Esquire
. His cartoons and illustrations were contributions to the satirical magazines edited by his friend Harvey Kurtzman
: Trump
(1957), Humbug
(1957-58) and Help!
(1960–65). Roth’s cartoons began appearing in Playboy
in the late 1950s. Playboy published ten multi-page installments of his An Illustrated History of Sex series in the late 1970s. Roth was a regular contributor of cartoon features to Punch
from the late 1960s until the end of the 1980s. Roth had multi-page features in almost every one of the first 25 issues of National Lampoon (1970-72) until his last satirized the editors of the magazine. He was a political cartoonist for The Progressive
from 1981 to 1987.
Poor Arnold's Almanac
as a Sunday strip
from 1959 to 1961. He brought it back as a daily panel in 1989-90. Fantagraphics Books
published a collection of this strip in 1998.
Advertising and Illustration Award (1982, 1984, 1985); Illustration Award (1976, 1979, 1981); Magazine and Book Illustration Award (1986, 1987, 1988); Special Feature Award (1979); Sports Cartoon Award (1976, 1977); Reuben Award (1983); and their Gold Key Award (their Hall of Fame) in 2000. He served as the organization’s president from 1983 to 1985.
On June 25, 2009, Roth was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame
which honors artists for their “distinguished achievement in the art of illustration.” Past Society presidents select inductees based on their body of work and the impact on the field of illustration. Roth was previously recognized by the Society of Illustrators with numerous Silver and Gold Stars.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
freelance cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
and illustrator for advertisements, album covers, books, magazines and newspapers.
Novelist John Updike
John Updike
John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....
wrote, "All cartoonists are geniuses, but Arnold Roth is especially so."
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, Roth graduated in 1950 from the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art (now the University of the Arts) and began freelancing in 1951.
The following year, he married Caroline Wingfield, and the couple later moved to New York City. They have two sons, Charles and Adam.
Roth's art is in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Cartoon Art (San Francisco), Philadelphia's Rosenbach Museum and Library and the Karikature and Cartoon Museum (Basel, Switzerland), plus many private collections.
His traveling solo exhibition, Free Lance, A Fifty Year Retrospective (2001-04), was seen in Philadelphia, Columbus, San Francisco, New York City, London and Basel. He has staged solo exhibitions at the Philadelphia Print Club, University of the Arts, New York's Century Association and Swarthmore College.
In addition to his artwork, Roth plays the saxophone.
Magazines
Roth has done covers for The New YorkerThe New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
and his artwork has appeared in TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
and Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
. His cartoons and illustrations were contributions to the satirical magazines edited by his friend Harvey Kurtzman
Harvey Kurtzman
Harvey Kurtzman was an American cartoonist and the editor of several comic books and magazines. Kurtzman often signed his name H. Kurtz, followed by a stick figure Harvey Kurtzman (October 3, 1924, Brooklyn, New York – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and the editor of several comic...
: Trump
Trump (magazine)
Trump was a glossy magazine of satire and humor, mostly in the forms of comic-strip features and short stories. It was edited by Harvey Kurtzman and published by Hugh Hefner, with only two issues produced in 1957...
(1957), Humbug
Humbug (magazine)
Humbug was a humor magazine edited 1957–1958 by Harvey Kurtzman with satirical jabs at movies, television, advertising and various artifacts of popular culture, from cereal boxes to fashion photographs...
(1957-58) and Help!
Help! (magazine)
Help! was an American magazine published by James Warren. It wasHarvey Kurtzman's longest-running magazine project after leaving Mad and EC Publications, and during its five years of operation it was always chronically underfunded, yet innovative...
(1960–65). Roth’s cartoons began appearing in Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
in the late 1950s. Playboy published ten multi-page installments of his An Illustrated History of Sex series in the late 1970s. Roth was a regular contributor of cartoon features to Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
from the late 1960s until the end of the 1980s. Roth had multi-page features in almost every one of the first 25 issues of National Lampoon (1970-72) until his last satirized the editors of the magazine. He was a political cartoonist for The Progressive
The Progressive
The Progressive is an American monthly magazine of politics, culture and progressivism with a pronounced liberal perspective on some issues. Known for its pacifism, it has strongly opposed military interventions, such as the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. The magazine also devotes much coverage...
from 1981 to 1987.
Comic strips
Roth drew the comic stripComic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Poor Arnold's Almanac
Poor Arnold's Almanac
Poor Arnold's Alamanac was a newspaper comic strip by Arnold Roth. Each installment covered a single subject, with Roth devising gags on such topics as baseball, dogs, commuting, elephants, ice cream, smoking and the telephone....
as a Sunday strip
Sunday strip
A Sunday strip is a newspaper comic strip format, where comic strips are printed in the Sunday newspaper, usually in a special section called the Sunday comics, and virtually always in color. Some readers called these sections the Sunday funnies...
from 1959 to 1961. He brought it back as a daily panel in 1989-90. Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books
Fantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint...
published a collection of this strip in 1998.
Awards
He received the National Cartoonists SocietyNational Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
Advertising and Illustration Award (1982, 1984, 1985); Illustration Award (1976, 1979, 1981); Magazine and Book Illustration Award (1986, 1987, 1988); Special Feature Award (1979); Sports Cartoon Award (1976, 1977); Reuben Award (1983); and their Gold Key Award (their Hall of Fame) in 2000. He served as the organization’s president from 1983 to 1985.
On June 25, 2009, Roth was inducted into the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame
Society of Illustrators
The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the mission of the Society is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, as well as its history...
which honors artists for their “distinguished achievement in the art of illustration.” Past Society presidents select inductees based on their body of work and the impact on the field of illustration. Roth was previously recognized by the Society of Illustrators with numerous Silver and Gold Stars.
Further reading
- Arnold Roth: Free Lance, A Fifty Year Retrospective, published by Fantagraphics Books, 2001.
- The Comics Journal (June 1991) "Take Five," a 22-page interview with Gary Groth
Books written and illustrated by Arnold Roth
- Pick A Peck Of Puzzles - W.W. Norton & Company, 1966.
- Arnold Roth's Crazy Book of Science. New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1971.
- A Comick Book of Sports - Scribners, 1974.
- A Comick Book Of Pets - New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1976
- No Pain, No Strain - New York: Saint Martin's Press, 1996
- Poor Arnold's Almanac - Fantagraphics Books, 1998.
Books illustrated by Arnold Roth
- “Wally The Wordworm” by Clifton FadimanClifton FadimanClifton P. "Kip" Fadiman was an American intellectual, author, editor, radio and television personality.-Literary career:...
. Macmillan, New York, 1964. - “The Hater's Handbook: A Guide to the Wonderful World of Ill Will: The Catcalls, Abuse and Caustic Comment Flung at Persons of Note Throughout the Ages” by Joseph Rosner. Delacorte Press, NY, 1965
- “Go on Wheels” by Julius Schwartz. NY McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1966
- “Kids' Letters to the F.B.I. ” by Bill Adler. Prentice Hall, 1966
- “Grimms' Fairy Tales: The Macmillan Classics”, afterword by Clifton Fadiman. Macmillan Co., NY, 1966
- “Isabel's Noel” by Jane YolenJane YolenJane Hyatt Yolen is an American author and editor of almost 300 books. These include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and children's books...
. NY: Funk & Wagnalls, 1967 - “In the President's and My Opinion...” by Donald Pearce. Prentice-Hall, 1967.
- “The President's Mystery Plot” by Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
; Rupert Hughes; Samuel Hopkins Adams; Abbot, Anthony; Weiman, Rita; S. S. Van Dine; John Erskine; Erle Stanley Gardner. Prentice Hall, New York, 1967. - “What Every Good Boy Knew About Sex” by Sam Blum. Bernard Geis Associates, NY, 1967.
- “How Many Miles to Galena? Or Baked, Hashed Brown or French Fried? ” by Richard Bissell. Little Brown, Boston, 1968.
- “The Horse that Played Centerfield” by Hal Higdon. Holt Rinehart Winston, 1969.
- “Stark Naked: A Paranomastic OdysseyStark Naked: A Paranomastic OdysseyStark Naked is a book of humor written by Norton Juster, an American architect and author. It was published by Random House in 1969, Library of Congress Control Number 71-85568. It is currently out of print. The illustrator was Arnold Roth. The book is a series of names, each of which is play on...
” by Norton Juster. Random House, 1969. - “Bech: A Book” by John Updike. (cover art) HarperCollins, NY, 1970.
- “The Inchworm and the Butterfly Peace” by Brock Brower. Doubleday & Co., NY, 1970.
- “Little Spiro: His Letters, Poems, Essays, Songs and Drawings” by Ralph Schoenstein. William Morrow, New York, 1971.
- “I Hear America Mating: A Hilarious Trek Through the Wilds of Modern Sex. ” by Ralph Schoenstein. St. Martin's Press, NY, 1972.
- “The Witch Who Wasn't” by Jane Yolen. Collier Books, New York, 1974.
- “East Vs. West” by Ralph Schoenstein. Simon & Schuster, 1981.
- “Bech is Back” by John Updike. (cover art) Alfred A. Knopf, NY, 1982.
- “A Sports Bestiary” by George PlimptonGeorge PlimptonGeorge Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
. McGraw-Hill, NY, 1982. - “The Further Adventures of Slugger Mcbatt” by W.P. Kinsella. Collins, Toronto, 1988.
- “A Sound Heard Early on the Morning of Christ's Nativity” by John UpdikeJohn UpdikeJohn Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....
. Northridge: Lord John Press, 2002, - “Flying to Florida” by John Updike - Northridge: Lord John Press, 2003
- “Diggin Your Own Grave: Over 350 Fullproof Ways to Totally Screw Up Your Life” by B. L. Andrews. St. Martin's Press, 1994.
- “Bech at Bay” by John Updike. (cover art) Alfred A. Knopf, NY, 1998.
- “The Lexicon: A Cornucopia of Wonderful Words for the Inquisitive Word Lover” by William F. Buckley Jr. Harvest/HBJ Book, 1998.
Album covers
Roth created cover art for jazz and folk albums:- Dave Brubeck Octet (1950)
- Breaking it Up! Louis Prima with Keely Smith (1951)
- Dave Brubeck's Jazz at the College of the PacificJazz at the College of the PacificJazz at the College of the Pacific is a live album by Dave Brubeck Quartet. It was recorded and released in December 1953 on Fantasy Records as F 3223. The cover was designed by Ed Colker and drawn by Arnold Roth...
(1953) - Phil Napoleon and His Memphis Five (1955)
- Cal Tjader's Latin Kick (1956)
- The Art Of Van Damme (1956)
- Jay & Kai + 6: Jay & Kai Trombone Octet (1956)
- Dave Brubeck Plays and Plays and Plays (1957)
- Boyd Raeburn: Fraternity Rush (1957)
- The Dave Brubeck Quartet in Europe (1958)
- The Famous Castle Jazz Band In Stereo (1958)
- Pete Seeger Sings Little Boxes and Other Broadsides (1963)