Whitney Darrow Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Whitney Darrow Art Value Price Guide

Mar. 22, 2026
Whitney Darrow New Yorker Original Cartoon Art
Est: $600 - $800
DARROW, Whitney, (American, 1909-1999): Original cartoon art for The New Yorker Magazine depicting a man and his mistress, caption reads "We can't go on like this Miriam. My wife keeps asking why I don't ever bring the troop home for milk and cookies.", Charcoal on Paper, signed lower right, sight size 14.5" x 12.25", framed 22.25" x 18". Condition: Toning, not examined out of frame.
Amero Auctions
Mar. 11, 2026
Whitney Darrow Jr., New York, New Jersey (1909-1999), Peeping Tom, 1956, ink and wash, New Yorker Cartoon, 9"H x 11 3/4"W(sight), 14"H x 16 3/4"W(mat)
Est: $100 - $200
Whitney Darrow Jr. New York, New Jersey, (1909-1999) Peeping Tom, 1956 ink and wash, New Yorker Cartoon Signed to lower right. Biography Whitney "Whit" Darrow, Jr. (1909 – 1999) was an American cartoonist, illustrator, and author best known for his fifty-year career at The New Yorker magazine. Darrow helped develop the magazine's cartoon style of psychological snapshot with a one-line caption. Unlike most of his colleagues, he also wrote his own captions. A prolific artist, Darrow produced some 1,500 cartoons for The New Yorker. At times the magazine published fifty of his cartoons in a year, including full-page treatments and covers in color. Born in Princeton, New Jersey where his father was founding director of Princeton University Press, Darrow grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut and attended Greenwich High School. During high school he wrote parodies for the school newspaper and was a member of the class crew squad. Later, while a student at Princeton, he wrote a humorous column for The Daily Princetonian and was editor of The Princeton Tiger. After graduating from Princeton in 1931 Darrow studied at the Art Students League with Thomas Hart Benton and other artists, and he began selling cartoons to Judge, Life, and College Humor. It was in 1933, at twenty-four years of age, that his affiliation with The New Yorker began. It would last until he retired from the magazine in 1982.[1] A shrewd observer of human behavior, Darrow's cartoons often focused on the contradictions and absurdities of middle-class suburban life in America. Martin Plimmer of The Independent describes Darrow's art as "a muscular drawing style, dense and darkly etched, a compound construction of grey wash and scribbled shade and bold, reiterated pencil strokes, from which his forms emerge with a precision and lightness of foot that belie all that weight of graphite. Lightness of heart too, for Darrow was never morbid or bitter. Even the most foolish of his subjects glows in the positive light of his enthusiasm and affection."[2] Darrow published four collections of his work: You're Sitting on My Eyelashes, Give Up?, Stop Miss, and Please Pass the Hostess. He illustrated children's stories and other books by such authors as Nathaniel Benchley, Jean Kerr, and Johnny Carson, among others.[3] Darrow and his wife, Mildred, were living in Shelburne, Vermont when he died at the age of eighty-nine. He had a son, daughter, and two grandsons. [1] Gussow, Mel. "Whitney Darrow Jr., 89, Gentle Satirist of Modern Life, Dies." The New York Times, August 12, 1999. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/12/arts/whitney-darrow-jr-89-gentle-satirist-of-mofdern-life-dies.html [2] Plimmer, Martin. "Obituary: Whitney Darrow Jnr." The Independent, November 22, 1999. Accessed March 29, 2020. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-whitney-darrow-jnr-1127897.html [3] Wikipedia's entry on Whitney Darrow Jr. Accessed March 29, 2020. Last edited on June 25, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitney_Darrow_Jr. This artist's biography was written by Phyllis Geraghty, a writer with professional experience in the public relations, education, health, and non-profit sectors.
Ripley Auctions
Jun. 25, 2024
Whitney Darrow Jr. (1909-1999)
Est: $1,000 - $1,500
Whitney Darrow Jr. (1909-1999) Three works: Painting siblings Mixed media on illustration board Signed lower left: Whitney Darrow Jr. 18.5" H x 18.5" W Food fight Mixed media on illustration board Signed lower left: Whitney Darrow Jr. 16.5" H x 18.5" W Kid cowboys playing with water guns Mixed media on illustration board Signed lower left: Whitney Darrow Jr. 18" H x 19" W
John Moran Auctioneers
Jun. 15, 2023
DARROW, WHITNEY JR. (1909-1999) "He's a briliant attorney, but he can't stand to lose a case."
Est: $700 - $1,000
DARROW, WHITNEY JR. (1909-1999) "He's a briliant attorney, but he can't stand to lose a case." Charcoal, pen-and ink on paper; 17 3/4 x 13 inches. New Yorker cartoon, 1965. Signed lower right. Whitney Darrow, Jr. was one of the most prolific of New Yorker cartoonists. It has been estimated that he published 1,500 cartoons in the magazine over nearly 50 years. He studied with Thomas Hart Benton at the Art Students League and was selling drawings to College Humor, Judge and Life by his early 20s. The New Yorker took his first cartoon (of a group of nudists) in 1933, when he was just 24. He, unlike most of his colleagues, also wrote his captions. He often explored the absurdity of the American Middle Class. 1965
Swann Auction Galleries
Dec. 15, 2022
WHITNEY DARROW JR. (1909-1999) (THE NEW YORKER) Off-season boating.
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
WHITNEY DARROW JR. (1909-1999) (THE NEW YORKER) Off-season boating. Likely proposed cover for The New Yorker. Mixed media with gouache, ink, and watercolor on board. 523x425 mm; 20 1/2x16 3/4 inches. Signed "Whitney Darrow Jr., " in lower right image. Tipped to window matte.
Swann Auction Galleries
Dec. 01, 2019
Whitney Darrow Jr. "New Yorker" Cartoon Charcoal
Est: -
Whitney Darrow Jr. (American, 1909-1999) for The New Yorker charcoal cartoon / comic illustration, depicting courtroom scene with caption at bottom "He's a brilliant attorney, but he can't stand to lose a case," signed lower right "Whitney Darrow Jr," published in the "The New Yorker Book of Lawyer Cartoons" and seen on page 53 of the 2005 reprinting. Image: 17.75" H x 13" W; frame: 24.25" H x 20.25" W x .75" D. Minor tear in lower left quadrant.
Auctions at Showplace
Sep. 22, 2019
Whitney Darrow Books
Est: $40 - $80
[4 items] Darrow, Whitney, "You're Sitting on My Eyelashes" Random House, New York, 1943; Darrow, Whitney, Give Up? Random House, 1965; Carson Johnny & Darrow, Whitney, Happiness Is a Dry Martini, Doubleday. New York, 1965; Carson & Darrow, Misery Is a Blind Date, Doubleday. 1967. "Give Up" is signed by the author/artist, with a large sketch; gift card tipped in. From the collection of Albert J Raman.
Barry S. Slosberg Inc
Nov. 20, 2018
Whitney Darrow, Jr. American, 1909-1999 McCall's, 1957
Est: $800 - $1,200
Whitney Darrow, Jr. American, 1909-1999 McCall's, 1957 Signed Whitney Darrow, Jr. (lr) Grease pencil, ink and wash on illustration board 16 3/8 x 14 inches Provenance: Davis and Langdale Company, New York Exhibited: Artists of The New Yorker: An Exhibition to Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Magazine, Apr. 2000, Davis and Langdale Company, New York C The Patricia and Donald Oresman Collection
DOYLE Auctioneers & Appraisers
Aug. 29, 2018
Whitney Darrow Jr.
Est: $800 - $1,200
Possible faint even toning throughout, otherwise very good. Note: Darrow was a prominent American cartoonist, who worked most of his career for "The New Yorker" with some 1,500 of his cartoons printed in his nearly 50-year-long career with the magazine. Provenance: From a private New England collection.Dates: (American, 1909 - 1999).Frame: Contemporary Molded Metal with Mat under Plexiglas.Medium: Pen, Pencil and Charcoal Drawing.Signature: Lower Right "Whitney Darrow, Jr".Title: "You Should Write a Book Called Condition: Dimensions: Framed: 19-1/2" x 16".
Morphy Auctions
Jul. 30, 2016
Whitney Darrow, Jr. (American, 1909-1999)
Est: $60 - $80
Couple with Baby. Cartoon on cardstock. Signed (LC). Sight size 9 x 10.5 inches. Notice to bidders: Condition reports and additional photographs are provided by request as a courtesy to our clients, as such any condition report is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free of defects, imperfections, restoration, wear and tear, or the effects of aging. Capo Auction shall have no responsibility for any error or omission, additionally all lots are sold 'As Is' and in accordance with the conditions of sale.
Capo Auction
Jun. 25, 2016
Whitney Darrow, Jr. (American, 1909-1999)
Est: $60 - $80
Couple with Baby. Cartoon on cardstock. Signed (LC). Sight size 9 x 10.5 inches. Notice to bidders: Condition reports and additional photographs are provided by request as a courtesy to our clients, as such any condition report is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. The absence of a condition report does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free of defects, imperfections, restoration, wear and tear, or the effects of aging. Capo Auction shall have no responsibility for any error or omission, additionally all lots are sold 'As Is' and in accordance with the conditions of sale.
Capo Auction
Jun. 22, 2016
Whitney Darrow, Jr., American (1909- 1999)
Est: $200 - $400
"PARDON ME, MY NAME IS ARMBRUSTER - WOULD YOU LIKE A FIGHT?" Possible charcoal drawing on paper. Titled, signed and dated. 1936. Whitney Darrow, Jr. was a prominent American cartoonist, who worked most of his career for The New Yorker, with some 1,500 of his cartoons printed in his nearly 50-year-long career with the magazine. Height: 12 3/4", Width: 12 3/4" & Image Size: Height: 9", Width: 9" (fine art, cartoon, absurdities and behavioral contradictions of middle-class suburban life, collectible) STERLING ASSOCIATES STRIVES TO PROVIDE ACCURATE, OBJECTIVE, & FAIR INFORMATION ON ALL LOTS. WE WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND PROVIDE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS. WE ADVISE THAT YOU, OR SOMEONE ON YOUR BEHALF, INSPECT ANY ITEM(S) AND COME TO YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS BEFORE BIDDING. ALL SALES ARE FINAL. PLEASE SEE TERMS & CONDITIONS.
Sterling Associates, Inc.
Jan. 22, 2015
WHITNEY DARROW, JR. Two New Yorker cartoons.
Est: $1,000 - $2,000
WHITNEY DARROW, JR. Two New Yorker cartoons. Charcoal and watercolor on board. Signed lower margins. With The New Yorker stamps and other markings on verso. Tipped to mattes with captions penned on rectos. Ex-collection Betty Waldo Parrish, noted Ashcan School and WPA artist, and wife of Whitney Darrow, Jr. in the 1930s.
Swann Auction Galleries
Jan. 24, 2013
WHITNEY DARROW, JR. You're Sitting On My Eyelashes.
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
WHITNEY DARROW, JR. You're Sitting On My Eyelashes. Mixed media. 445x330 mm; 17 1/2x13 inches. Book jacket illustration. Not examined out of frame. Published in You're Sitting On My Eyelashes, An Album of Cartoons (New York: Random House, 1943).
Swann Auction Galleries
Dec. 12, 2007
Whitney Darrow Jr., (American, b. 1909), A Set of Three Cartoon Drawings
Est: $1,500 - $2,500
Whitney Darrow Jr. (American, b. 1909) A Set of Three Cartoon Drawings mixed media on paper each signed in pen "Whitney Darrow Jr." Largest 9 x 8 inches.
Hindman
Jun. 02, 2007
Whitney Darrow, Jr. (1909-1999)
Est: -
Gag cartoon, New Yorker, October 8, 1955; - Employee threatens boss with physical violence.
Illustration House