Labels and Wall Texts for the Exhibition
From The New Yorker to Shrek: The Art of William Steig
June 8 – September 7, 2008
Introduction Text
“I often ask myself, ‘What would be an ideal life?’—I think an ideal life would be just drawing.”
WILLIAM STEIG, 1992
Known for his brilliant cartoons for The New Yorker and his award-winning children’s books,
William Steig (1907–2003) left a legacy that spans the twentieth century. A son of Eastern European
Jewish immigrants, Steig was born in Brooklyn on November 14, 1907, and grew up in the Bronx.
He drew his first cartoons for his high school newspaper and then went on to spend two years at
City College, three years at the National Academy, and five days at Yale before dropping out. In
1930, prompted by the need to support his family during the Depression, Steig began illustrating for
The New Yorker and for other magazines such as Judge, Life, and Collier’s, which published humor as
an antidote to hard times.
“I always begin with the face,” Steig simply explained, but his variety of styles is remarkable,
ranging from classic cartoons to psychologically fraught pen-and-ink creations, from Picassoesque
portraits to delicately rendered sketches. His protean nature made him hard to categorize—a trait he
shared with that other colossus of The New Yorker, Saul Steinberg. Steig’s desire to draw freely and
whimsically pervades much of his art, and his intense love of color is apparent in his opulent
illustrations for children. Just as the scale of his drawings was modest, the artist’s attitude toward his
work, “made to be reproduced,” was unassuming.
Filled with empathy, Steig’s drawings resonate long after our first encounter with them. In his art,
the isolation of the self—one of the artist’s lifelong preoccupations—is treated in its various guises.
The children he drew are often grouchy and ill-mannered, and his adult world is populated with
convicts and lovers, drunks and drifters, philosophers and the absurdly rich, and couples engaged in
bewildered attempts to understand each other. These characters—often warty and scabrous types
736 Mission Street San Francisco, California 94103 telephone 415 655 7800 fax 415 655 7815 thecjm.org
depicted with great affection— are both a rich source of humor and crucial to one of his central
insights: there is much in this world that can perplex and frustrate us.
Above all, Steig’s work is about the redeeming power of nature, art, and love, to which we seem to
be most receptive as children, or when we are in touch with our own childhood as adults. “I think I
feel a little differently than other people do,” Steig said. “For some reason I’ve never felt grown up.”
Opening Wall (right to left)
Untitled
Published in Ruminations (1984)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Saucissons Alfresco
From “Dining Out” series
Published in The New Yorker, January 18, 1999
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Untitled
c. 1980s
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Ruminating
Published in The New Yorker, October 24, 1983
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Untitled
Published in The New Yorker, May 17, 1976
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“Oh, ghastly you, with lips of blue”
Final illustration for Shrek! (1990)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Untitled
Undated
Pen and ink and colored pencil on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Untitled
Similar drawing published in The New Yorker, June 27, 1988
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Exhibition Case (left to right)
Sublime doodler
Steig was once called “a sublime doodler,” a title he relished, given his lifelong love of drawing and
the sheer profusion of his art. No matter what kind of paper he had on hand—from a shopping list
to a sketchbook, from the back of a page with a canceled drawing to the scraps from some larger
sheet of paper—Steig was always drawing. On view here is a sampling of his countless doodles.
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Sketches of cats
After 1968
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of Jeanne Steig
These charming drawings are part of a larger group of sketches of cats the artist created for his
mother-in-law. In an accompanying note, Steig, who was known for his sweet tooth, wrote:
“Specially drawn for Badona Spertus in response to a fantastic fruit cake, by William Steig.”
Sketchbook
Undated
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of Jeanne Steig
Presented by the artist to his wife Jeanne, this sketchbook features an incredible array of faces—
Steig’s favorite motif. “Watching him illustrate,” wrote his daughter Maggie, “I would see him
making all kinds of faces. He was making the faces he was drawing.”
Box for doodles and selection of doodles
Doodles: William Steig, 1972–76
Pen and ink on paper
Box: Maggie Steig, c. 1970s
Wood and pasted colored paper
Collection of Maggie Steig
This is a selection of the many doodles made by the artist for his teenage daughter, Maggie, in the
early 1970s. She created this special box to store her father’s treasured drawings.
Ring made for William Steig by his daughter Maggie
Silver: enameled
Collection of Maggie Steig
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Growing up, Steig’s daughter Maggie enjoyed watching her father drawing in his Kent, Connecticut,
studio. She noted that, in addition to colored pencils, watercolors, gouache, and colored inks (made
by the artist’s brother, Arthur), his desk featured “an assortment of small talismans and a collection
of gaudy rhinestone brooches”: “He liked to work with a little sparkle in his periphery. I had made
him an enameled ring he said he liked to wear while he was drawing, but more often I saw him
twirling it on the end of his nose, lost in thought.”
Group of sketches
Undated
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of Jeanne Steig
Shopping list and doodles on back of invitation
1968 or later
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of Jeanne Steig
Growing Up in the Bronx
Steig grew up in a Jewish household with ties to Eastern Europe. His father, Joseph, arrived in
America in 1903 from Lemberg (Lvov) and was soon joined by his wife, Laura, and their child,
Irwin. The couple settled in Brooklyn, where their sons Henry and William were born. Shortly after
the artist’s birth the family moved to the Bronx, where they welcomed the arrival of their youngest
member, Arthur. Joseph Steig made a living as a house painter and his wife worked as a seamstress,
but they were also both artists and communicated that passion to their offspring.
The parents encouraged their sons to choose the arts over other professions to avoid having them
exploited as laborers and to prevent them from exploiting others. Although Joseph Steig had been
raised in an observant Jewish household, he became an atheist as a young man and had joined the
Socialist Party in Lvov. In New York, where a vociferous Yiddish press championed socialist causes,
he attended political gatherings that sought to raise public awareness of the plight of workers. He
also found freelance work at the Yiddish daily The Forward for a few years, reporting on labor news
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and contributing stories about immigrant life on the Lower East Side. It is not surprising, therefore,
that William Steig would identify with the downtrodden and that his parents’ Socialist ideals would
permeate his work throughout his career.
On this wall are a number of Steig’s drawings that can be interpreted as portraits of his family.
These include his father as a “Sunday Painter” and an illustration of the seamstress mother from
Brave Irene (1986), which can be seen as Steig’s tribute to his mother who, like many immigrant
Jewish women from Eastern Europe, was a dressmaker.
Wall (right to left)
Untitled
c. 1981
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
In this wonderful family portrait, the artist likely expanded on a 1912 photograph of his parents,
Joseph and Laura Steig, reproduced here. Although he was one of four brothers, five children
including two girls are depicted in the drawing. This is not the only instance in which Steig loosely
adapted elements from his own life. In When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003), Steig’s autobiographical
book, the family includes three sons and a daughter.
That Old Gang of Mine (Circa 1915)
c. 1983
Pen and ink, pencil and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“The kids I hung out with formed a club when we were all about ten years old,” recounted Steig.
“We called it the Orion Athletic Club, because we considered ourselves all-stars. . . . When we finally
let a girl. . . . join, we changed the name to the Orion Athletic and Social Club.” A photograph of the
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artist’s childhood gang, probably taken at its favorite hangout—Claremont Park in the Bronx—is
reproduced here with the young Steig standing in the back row at center.
Untitled
Undated
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Steig made a series of drawings similar to this one, some of which were captioned “Sunday Painter,”
a clear reference to his father.
Final illustration for title page of Brave Irene (1986)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“Lovey Dovey” (“A lunatic living in Lvov”)
Preliminary illustration for Alpha Beta Chowder (1992)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of Lucy Steig
An alphabet book, Alpha Beta Chowder, is a collaboration between the artist, who created the
illustrations, and his wife Jeanne Steig, who wrote the playful verse. This drawing is a highly realized
preliminary illustration for the letter “L” featuring Lovey Dovey, a lunatic from Lvov—the Eastern
European city from which Steig’s parents emigrated.
A Dream of Chicken Soup
Published in The New Yorker, June 28, 1982
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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A Dream of Chicken Soup is a cartoon based on the imprisonment of Joseph Steig, the artist’s father,
for Socialist activities in his native Lvov. Joseph’s mother frequently visited him in jail, bringing him
chicken soup, an Ashkenazi staple and the ultimate panacea, according to many Jewish mothers.
Revolutionary Soap Box Orator on Wendover Ave
Undated
Pen and ink and pencil on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Untitled
c. 1959
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
This scene likely depicts Joseph Steig, seated at right, with friends. The artist, who kept a number of
notebooks with autobiographical entries, mentioned the visits of his parents’ Socialist friends. Most
evenings, though, the elder Steig would attend gatherings at the Second Assembly District meeting
house in the Bronx, to the dismay of his wife, as reported by the artist: “My mom was convinced his
political interests were just an excuse to chase women. She used to say, ‘I know who those Socialists
are.’”
Opposite Wall
“Mama had bad news from the Old Country”
Published in The New Yorker, September 26, 1959, as part of the series “A la recherche du temps
perdu”
Color version published in When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003)
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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The scene depicts the artist’s mother learning of her own mother’s death. The young Steig found her
crying over the letter that revealed what had happened many months before. The artist’s maternal
and paternal grandparents had remained in Lvov, and passed away when he was a child.
“Sometimes Mom and Pop quarreled. They spoke four languages: German, Polish, Yiddish and
English”
Final illustration for When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003)
Originally published in pen and ink and wash in The New Yorker, September 26, 1959, as part of the
series “A la recherche du temps perdu”
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
In his insightful review of Steig’s When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003) for The New York Times, Edward
Sorel emphasized that this is one of the most remarkably honest drawings in children’s literature.
Steig often commented that his parents “had a very stormy relationship and fought a lot. Dad would
yell and Mom would cry. Then he’d calm down and turn on the charm. Eventually they would kiss
and make up.” When it was first published in The New Yorker in 1959, the scene was captioned
“Mama and Papa never quarreled in front of the children.”
Early Beginnings at The New Yorker
William Steig joined The New Yorker in 1930, five years after its founding. His prolific association
with the magazine was the longest by far of any of its cartoonists, with over 1,600 drawings and
more than 120 covers published during a period of seventy-three years. Steig ushered in a new era by
radically transforming the way cartoons were created at The New Yorker. Before his arrival, cartoons
were collaborations between writers, who supplied the concept and the captions, and cartoonists,
who provided the illustrations. Steig became the first cartoonist at the magazine to formulate his
own ideas, write the one-line captions, and execute the drawings. While his early submissions were
carefully captioned and highly realized, first in pencil, and then in ink and halftone washes, Steig’s
line gradually became freer, ultimately leading to his abandonment of preliminary sketches by the
1960s and the frequent creation of uncaptioned drawings.
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Steig brought a fresh voice to The New Yorker with cartoons that drew on his experience as the son
of Jewish immigrants. His early work reflects a desire to fit into the sophisticated milieu of the
magazine while remaining rooted in his own culture. His characters oscillated “between the
tenement dwellers of his own childhood” and the “Fifth Avenue ‘swells,’” in the words of fellow
cartoonist Lee Lorenz. In his beloved “Small Fry” series, created from the early 1930s to the early
1950s, Steig invoked the world of his Bronx Jewish childhood, a way of life that was on the verge of
disappearing.
As his subjects moved from tenements to apartment houses, the artist turned his focus to the
plights and afflictions of the middle class and, eventually, to mankind’s universal condition. Once an
outsider, Steig soon became one of The New Yorker’s signature cartoonists, assigned to illustrate allAmerican covers celebrating the Fourth of July, Columbus Day, and Thanksgiving.
Wall next to text panel
The Protest
c. 1930
Watercolor on paper
Brooklyn Museum, Museum Collection Fund 31.141
This is likely the earliest drawing by William Steig in existence.
The work was featured in an international exhibition of watercolors, pastels, and drawings, held at
the Brooklyn Museum in the winter of 1931, and entered the museum’s collection that same year.
“Pardon me, young man, are you a member of this Study Group?”
Helen E. Hokinson (1893–1949) and William Steig
Published in The New Yorker, January 26, 1935
Pen and ink, wash, and collage on paper
Collection of Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, Peoria, Illinois
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Steig’s entrance into the aristocratic world of The New Yorker in the early 1930s is captured in this
rare collaboration between the artist and fellow cartoonist Helen Hokinson. The cartoon features a
group of well-dressed upper-middle-class children on a museum tour (drawn by Hokinson) and a
boy sporting a pair of knickerbockers and a full head of spiky hair (drawn by Steig), who defiantly
intrudes on the genteel proceedings.
The docent asks the interloper, “Pardon me, young man, are you a member of this Study Group?”
Exhibition case-left to right
“Are you carrying a cane tonight?”
“No. I’m going to rough it.”
Peter Arno (American, 1904–1968)
Published in The New Yorker, October 22, 1927
Reproduction
© The New Yorker Collection 1927 Peter Arno from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.
This cartoon is typical of those published in The New Yorker before Steig joined the magazine in
1930. Peter Arno specialized in depictions of self-indulgent members of the upper class. The
dialogue also exemplifies the gags—often much longer—supplied by the writers.
The Fourth New Yorker Album
Garden City, New York: Double Day, Doran & Company, Inc, 1931
Printed on paper
In the pages on display, Steig’s early cartoon—“Don’t bother me! I don’t know nothing about
sex”—stands in stark contrast to drawings by established cartoonists Helen Hokinson and Gluyas
Williams, whose art focused on the doings of upper-class ladies and wealthy industrialists.
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Letter from James Geraghty
November 14, 1973
Typescript on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Originally a gag writer for The New Yorker, James Geraghty became the magazine’s first cartoon
editor in 1939. Prior to that, cartoons were edited by the fiction department headed by Katharine
(Angell) White (wife of New Yorker writer E. B. White).
Geraghty wrote this letter on the eve of his retirement, after having gone over thousands of cartoons
in preparation for the publication of The New Yorker’s fiftieth anniversary album in 1975.
Letter from William Shawn
March 10, 1987
Typescript on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“To life!”
Published in The New Yorker, January 18, 1964
Reproduction
© The New Yorker Collection 1964 William Steig from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.
“Gevalt!”
Published in The New Yorker, April 20, 1992
Reproduction
© The New Yorker Collection 1992 William Steig from
cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.
Although Steig’s work usually addresses universal rather than specifically Jewish concerns, the two
cartoons reproduced here deal with acculturation as a hopeful or comic state. In one drawing, two
couples offer the traditional Jewish toast “To life!” (usually said in Hebrew: “L’Chaim!”), probably
celebrating the New Year. In a second cartoon, a girl practices piano as a composer’s bust exclaims
“Gevalt!” the Yiddish equivalent of “Oh, my God!” or “Good grief!”
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Wall-left to right
“Oh, you dirty little liar!”
Published in The New Yorker, May 12, 1934
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Melvin R. Seiden Collection on deposit at the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York
“A good day for falling in love!”
Delivered to Look magazine, May 8, 1957
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“What a beautiful morning!”
Published in Collier’s magazine, January 7, 1950
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“You might be glad to know that your money will not be squandered foolishly”
Published in The New Yorker, May 15, 1954
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Likely conceived by the artist in conjunction with the cartoon exhibited nearby, this scene
humorously exposes Steig’s identification with the lower class. While the robber in this cartoon
displays genuine empathy for his victim, in the adjacent scene the victim is administered a severance
notice by his boss.
“You’re fired!”
Published in The New Yorker, December 26, 1953
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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“Small Fry” and “Dreams of Glory”
Early in his career, Steig established that children were central to his art with his series “Small Fry.”
This band of young rascals ruled street corners and loved to show off at the playground or baseball
diamond. First published in 1932, these cartoons continued to appear in The New Yorker through
1953. The “Small Fry” drawings on display here are rare examples mostly from the early 1950s (Steig
regretted much of his early work and is said to have disposed of his original cartoon art from the
1930s and 1940s). In some “Small Fry” cartoons, Steig portrayed children as filled with natural
wonder and innocence. In other instances, he surveyed how the adult world interfered in the
youngsters’ lives, either by presenting them as precocious or by showing how they were affected by
World War II. In 1944, the artist created a spin-off series, “Dreams of Glory,” casting children as
empowered rather than thwarted by adult conflicts. Filled with humor and piquancy, this new series
portrayed a world saved by a child superhero.
Wall-left to right
“Come and get me!”
From “G-Men and Racketeers” series
Published in The New Yorker, October 7, 1939
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Jesse Metcalf Fund
Published at the very beginning of World War II, this is likely the only extant drawing from the fivescene series “G-Men and Racketeers,” Steig’s first “Small Fry” drawings to address the impact of
war on children
Sport
From "Small Fry: Precocity" series
Published in The New Yorker, July 31, 1937
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York
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Room of Contemporary Art Fund
RCA 1939:11.9
Untitled
Early 1950s
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of Maggie Steig
Big Sister
From “Small Fry: Park Playground” series
Published in The New Yorker, April 18, 1953
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of Maggie Steig
Accident
From “Small Fry: Park Playground” series
Published in The New Yorker, April 18, 1953
Pen and ink and was on paper
Collection of Maggie Steig.
Untitled
From “Small Fry: Snow” series
Published in Dreams of Glory and Other Drawings (1953)
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of Maggie Steig
Wiseguy
From “Small Fry: Snow” series
Published in Dreams of Glory and Other Drawings (1953)
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of Maggie Steig
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Slugger
From “Small Fry: Sandlot Baseball” series
Published in The New Yorker, May 31, 1952
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of Maggie Steig
Getting the Serum Through
From “Dreams of Glory” series
Published in The New Yorker, March 15, 1952
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of Maggie Steig
In the Nick of Time
From “Dreams of Glory” series
Published in The New Yorker, May 26, 1951
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Greatest Comedian of His Time
From “Dreams of Glory” series
Published in The New Yorker, April 28, 1951
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Exhibition case
Cover of The New Yorker
July 13, 1957
Printed on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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The 1937 New Yorker Album
New York: Random House, 1937
Printed on paper
This eight-drawing series featuring Steig’s “Small Fry” at summer camp was first published in The
New Yorker on July 13, 1935.
Cover of The New Yorker
July 17, 1943
Reproduction
© The New Yorker Collection 1943 William Steig from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.
Small Fry
New York: Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1944
The cartoon at left, depicting the hero of Steig’s “Dreams of Glory” series holding Adolf Hitler at
gunpoint, was first published in The New Yorker on February 19, 1944.
Opposite Wall-right to left
Illustration for unpublished New Yorker cover
Pen and in and watercolor on paper
Melvin R. Seiden Collection on deposit at the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York
Illustration for unpublished New Yorker cover
Undated
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Preliminary illustration for Movers and Shakers
Final version published in The New Yorker, April 22, 1996
Originally conceived as a New Yorker cover
Pen and ink, watercolor, and colored pencil on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Preliminary cover illustration for The New Yorker
Final version published on May 24, 1993
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Illustration for unpublished New Yorker cover
Undated
Pen and ink and watercolor on colored paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Untitled
Published in The New Yorker, November 30, 1992
Originally conceived as a New Yorker cover
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Originally conceived by Steig as a Thanksgiving cover, this wonderful drawing was published as a
full color illustration after being re-discovered in the magazine’s cartoon bank by Tina Brown,
shortly after she joined The New Yorker as editor in 1992. For the first time since 1926, color was
introduced into the editorial pages of the magazine in 1989. In fact, it was Steig himself who
inaugurated the “color era” with his comical spread “Scenes from the Thousand and One Nights.”
Final cover illustration for The New Yorker
October 9, 1989
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Final cover illustration for The New Yorker
July 6, 1968
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Symbolic Work
From the late 1930s through the early 1950s, Steig created some of the most haunting works of his
career. Deemed “too personal and not funny enough” by The New Yorker’s legendary founding editor
Harold Ross, these drawings—which Steig would call “symbolic”—were published in such books as
About People (1939), The Lonely Ones (1942), and Persistent Faces (1945), an ode to Picasso. Featuring a
parade of archetypes that succinctly summarize the human condition—from the acquisitive type to
the conformist, from the coy one to the kibitzer—these forays into the unconscious caught the
attention of the psychiatric community, as shown by the letters on display nearby.
As World War II drew near, Steig’s work delved further into the depths of the soul, prompting selfexamination as he sought to understand why his “Small Fry” had grown into his “Lonely Ones,” in
the words of critic Diana Trilling. By 1946, as the artist was facing divorce and health problems, he
consulted a former disciple of Sigmund Freud, the controversial Jewish psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich
(1897–1957). In Reich’s theories Steig found answers to the woes of existence. Reich proclaimed
that man’s natural energy was constantly thwarted by society. To recover this lost energy, the
psychiatrist recommended daily retreats to an “orgone energy accumulator,” a box built of layers of
organic and inorganic material that collected this energy. Steig embraced Reich’s treatment, sitting in
his own box regularly for the rest of his life.
Steig illustrated Reich’s manifesto, Listen, Little Man! (1948), a call for action to ordinary folk, and
then dedicated The Agony in the Kindergarten (1950), his wake-up call to America on the abuse and
repression of its children, to his spiritual mentor. Through this seminal body of work, Steig found
the path to a freedom of expression that had no precedent in his early and more traditional
cartooning and would become a trademark of his mature art.
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The following four images are framed together in one frame and there are two labels
Melancholia (above)
Loss of a Memory (below)
Final drawings for About People: A Book of Symbolic Drawings (1939)
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
A Bid for Immortality (above)
The Coy One (below)
Final drawings for About People: A Book of Symbolic Drawings (1939)
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
As scholar Joel Smith recently noted, both Steig and his fellow artist at The New Yorker, Saul
Steinberg, “tapped a wide-open market for thoughtful drawings fueled by anxiety,” with Steig having
“reached the territory first.”
A case in point is A Bid for Immortality, which predates Steinberg’s own “false handwriting” drawings.
Final cover illustration for The Lonely Ones (1942)
Pen and ink and collage on paper
Collection of Maggie Steig
The following two images are in one frame
I am at One with the Universe (above)
I Want Your Love But Don’t Deserve It (below)
Final drawings for The Lonely Ones (1942)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Guilt
Final drawing for All Embarrassed (1944)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Untitled
Final drawing for All Embarrassed (1944)
Pen and ink and collage on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Adjacent Wall--Symbolic Works continued
Our Marriage Will Be Different
Final drawing for Till Death Do Us Part (1947)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
What a Woman!
Preliminary drawing for The Rejected Lovers (1951)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Dog’s Best Friend
Final drawing for Persistent Faces (1945)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Conformist
Final drawing for Persistent Faces (1945)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Kibitzer
Final drawing for Persistent Faces (1945)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Exhibition Case (below)
Letter from psychiatrist Frederic Wertham regarding The Lonely Ones (1942)
November 27, 1942
Typescript on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
A prominent child psychiatrist, Frederic Wertham (1895–1981) is mainly remembered for his sharp
criticism of popular culture, particularly comic books.
His testimony in the Senate subcommittees following the publication of his 1954 book The Seduction
of the Innocent, prompted the creation of the Comics Code.
Letter from psychoanalyst Karen Horney regarding About People (1939)
October 9, 1939
Typescript on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Letter from author Henry Miller regarding About People (1939)
c. 1939
Typescript on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Dummy book for Yellow & Pink (1984)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper; pasted typewritten text
Collection of Jeanne Steig
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A creation story that may have been loosely inspired by Pinocchio, Yellow & Pink (1984) concerns the
existential musings of two painted wooden puppets who one day find
themselves lying out on the sun on an old newspaper. “I can’t help wondering . . .how we got here.
It all seems new and strange. Who are we?” asks Yellow, who believes in evolution, to Pink, who
does not. Pink simply answers “Someone must have
made us.” After a prolonged philosophical discussion, Yellow concludes that “Some things may
have to remain a mystery. Maybe forever.” The story, however, has a surprising finale, when
Gepetto’s stand-in shows up in search of the puppets he had left to dry in the sun.
Sketchbook with symbolic drawings
Late 1930s–early 1940s
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
The final drawing for the upper left sketch was published in The Lonely Ones (1942) and became one
of Steig’s most widely reproduced images. In fact, in the forties and fifties Steig’s “lonely ones”
could be found on napkins, glasses, ashtrays, and
scarves. As cartoonist Lee Lorenz has written, the caption “People are no damn good” entered the
American lexicon along with other maxims from the book such as “Public opinion no longer
worries me” and “Mother loved me but she died.”
List of afflictions
Undated
Ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Letter from Nelson Rockefeller regarding All Embarrassed (1944)
October 12, 1944
Typscript on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Letters from Wilhelm Reich
1949–50
Typescript and pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Steig maintained an assiduous correspondence with Wilhelm Reich from 1947 until the latter’s death
in prison of a heart attack in late 1957. The artist first met the psychiatrist in 1946 and saw him as a
patient for almost a year. Reich showed interest in the artist’s symbolic drawings, as seen in a 1950
letter on display here, which praises Steig’s “book on children,” namely The Agony in the Kindergarten
(1950). Steig followed Reich’s studies and publications avidly, and even helped raise funds for
Reich’s defense, following his imprisonment in the spring of 1957 for allegedly marketing his
“orgone energy accumulator,” an unregulated device, for medical use.
Exhibition case with Sculptures
Symbolic Sculptures
While the artist embarked on his symbolic explorations on paper, he also produced a small number
of sculptures that display the influence of African art and Picasso, whom Steig revered. The artist
carved these works primarily out of walnut, pear, and apple wood. His brief preoccupation with the
new medium began in 1936 when he first settled in rural Connecticut and pruned fruit trees with his
older brother Henry. These rare works earned Steig a solo show at New York’s Downtown Gallery
in 1939. Of the fourteen works in that exhibition, six were immediately acquired by Nelson
Rockefeller, who bargained with Steig to purchase them at ten dollars apiece.
Untitled
1936–39
Carved wood; nails and tacks
Collection of Jeanne Steig
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This sculpture was probably entitled “Sequined Lady,” a work mentioned in a Time magazine review
of the exhibition of Steig’s sculptures held at Manhattan’s Downtown Gallery in April 1939.
Proud Woman
1936–39
Carved pear wood and rope
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
Museum Works of Art Fund
Fixation
1936–39
Carved wood and metal chain
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, Massachusetts
Gift of Lawrence Ganeau in memory of Jere Abbott
Later Symbolic Work
When William Shawn became chief editor of The New Yorker in 1952, after Harold Ross’s death the
year before, the magazine gradually embraced Steig’s new style, which originated with his symbolic
work of the 1940s and 1950s. Featuring idiosyncratic and existentialist characters, these are the
drawings that the artist would become best known for later in his career. Beginning in the 1980s,
Steig also published these works in compilations such as Ruminations (1984), Our Miserable Life (1990)
and Strutters and Fretters (1992), whose titles sum up the artist’s outlook on everyday existence.
Opposite Wall—Left to right
“Just whom did she mean when she said ‘There are some people who…’?”
From “Nagging Questions” page spread
Published in The New Yorker, November 16, 1992
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Who Are We? Why Are We Here?
Undated
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Untitled
Similar version published in The New Yorker, April 1, 1974
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
The Ever-Chattering Mind
c. 1980s
Pen and ink and colored pencil on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Self-Effacing Self
Similar version published in pen and ink in Strutters and Fretters (1992)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Ambition
Published in The New Yorker, June 14, 1982
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“Willie!”
Final drawing for The Agony in the Kindergarten (1950)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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God Is Watching
Final drawing for The Agony in the Kindergarten (1950)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Mother’s Got an Awful Headache Today
Preliminary drawing for The Agony in the Kindergarten (1950)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of Maggie Steig
Are You Sure You Have to Go?
Final drawing for The Agony in the Kindergarten (1950)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Am I Nothing at All? You Don’t Acknowledge One Decent Trait in Me!
Preliminary drawing for Wilhelm Reich’s Listen, Little Man! (1948)
Pen and ink on paper
The Wilhelm Reich Museum, Rangeley, Maine
This image appears to be an antecedent of Shrek—the green ogre that years later would become one
of Steig’s most beloved creations for children. While the character in this drawing is a self-pitying
type, and a stand-in for the little man who is the target of Reich’s remarks, Shrek is filled with
confidence in his bad looks and in the havoc he can cause. Reich addresses the self-deprecating
figure as follows: “I know you are a decent, cooperative animal. . . . All I’ve done is lay bare the little
man in you, who has been wrecking your life for thousands of years.
You are great, little man, when you’re not mean and small. Your greatness, little man, is the only
hope we have left.”
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Orgastic Potency? Presumably
Preliminary drawing for Wilhelm Reich’s Listen, Little Man! (1948)
Pen and ink on paper
The Wilhelm Reich Museum, Rangeley, Maine
Steig’s drawing features a depiction of the “orgone energy accumulator,” a device created by
Wilhelm Reich to collect what the psychiatrist called orgone energy, which he found to be a vital
universal source. A sort of telephone booth, the device was made of metal on the inside—Reich
believed that orgone energy was reflected by nonorganic materials such as metal—and wood or
other organic material on the outside, which, according to Reich, absorbed orgone energy. For
Reich, genital or “orgastic” sexuality was both the cause of neurosis—if the sexual drive was either
blocked or sublimated (counter to Freud’s theory that sublimation was essential in a civilized
society)—and its cure, if fully discharged.
From Time to Time You Lift Your Head out of the Muck and Shout Hurrah!
Final drawing for Wilhelm Reich’s Listen, Little Man! (1948)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
In Listen, Little Man! Wilhelm Reich admonished the oppressed majority for not fully realizing its
potential. “I can’t save you from the muck. Only you can do that,” writes Reich. “It is true that I
fought for you . . . at the sacrifice of my family life and professional security. . . . And when the
Second World War was over, you were right back where you were when it started, a little further to
the ‘left’ or ‘right,’ but you hadn’t advanced a single millimeter!”
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Around the corner, to the Left
Life Is Passing Him By
From “Man and Beast” page spread
Published in The New Yorker, May 2, 1994
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Man in a Deep Depression
Published in The New Yorker, June 8, 1992
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
On separate (green) wall
Battle of the Sexes
One of the most prevalent themes in Steig’s art is the battle of the sexes. “I have been through all
that myself, and have seen it operate in others,” Steig candidly acknowledged in his foreword to The
Rejected Lovers (1951). The artist, who grew up witnessing his parents’ frequent quarrels, went through
three divorces.
It is not surprising, therefore, that Steig depicted courtship and marriage as filled with yearning and
tension. In sometimes hilarious and more often caustic cartoons, the artist explored the whole
spectrum of gender relations—from romantic first encounters to sad partings, from spouses happily
chained to one another to husbands and wives struggling in vain to extricate themselves from each
other.
Wall—left to right
“Are we early?”
Delivered to Look magazine, May 17, 1956
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Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
1. F.B.I. REPORTS JUVENILE CRIME ON INCREASE
2. FARMER GOES BERSERK, KILLS TWO IN-LAWS, SIX CHILDREN
3. BERLIN THREAT GROWS
4. TREASURY AGENTS TO CRACK DOWN
5. FALLOUT SHELTERS CLAIMED VITAL TO SURVIVAL
6. (No caption)
Published in The New Yorker, August 1, 1959
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Preliminary cover illustration for The New Yorker
Final version published on April 29, 1991
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Untitled
Published in The New Yorker, August 7, 1971
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
News
Originally published in pen and ink and wash in The New Yorker, June 21, 1982
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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“Relent!”
Final drawing for Sick of Each Other (2001)
Originally published in pen and ink in The New Yorker, November 22, 1982
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
READING ROOM—behind green wall
Sylvester, Shrek, and Friends’ Reading Room
Inspired by William Steig’s art for his children’s books
Designer: Kris Stone
Fabricator and painter: Michael Hagen, Inc.
Please come in, grab a book to read, and sit on a bean bag.
When you are done, please leave the books in the room.
Enjoy!
Love, Nature and Art
As Steig emerged from his mid-life symbolic explorations and embarked on a second career as a
children’s book illustrator and author, his work became more lyrical in nature. Imbued with a
renewed optimism, some of Steig’s drawings for adults and many of his illustrations for children,
from the late 1960s onward, emphasize the restorative powers of love, nature, and art. Love in these
works is no longer viewed as a quick-to-sour feeling, but rather as the purest and most fulfilling of
emotions. Bucolic settings, sometimes disrupted by dramatic weather, also abound in a number of
his children’s stories which take place in the countryside, Steig’s favorite locale for romance. In many
of his stories art enhances the lives of characters such as Dominic, the piccolo-playing mutt, Abel
the mouse, who tries his hand at sculpture, or Zeke Pippin the pig, who puts everyone to sleep with
the sound of his harmonica.
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On Wall—Right to left
Final cover illustration for Abel’s Island (1976)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
A Self in Love
Similar version published in The New Yorker, March 9, 1992
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Old Trysting Place
Published in The New Yorker, July 24, 1978
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of Lucy Steig
Untitled
Drawn by left-handed Steig with his right hand
After 1968
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of Jeanne Steig
To My Valentine
After 1968
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of Jeanne Steig
Untitled
c. 1980s–1990s
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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A Sweetheart, a Swain, a Swine, and Some Swans
c. 1980s–1990s
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Impressionist Receiving Impressions
Published in The New Yorker, October 25, 1982
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Sylvester, Shrek, and Friends
Even though Steig’s first book for children—C D B!—was published in 1968, when he was sixty
years old, the artist had been preparing for this moment his entire career. His continued interest in
the doings of youngsters and the childlike quality of much of his cartoon art evince a lifelong need
to remain in contact with his inner child. His father liked to tell of a brilliant Polish Jewish jester
who kept the king in check, a story that captivated young Steig and perhaps propelled the artist to
overturn traditional narratives later in life. In his drawings for adults, damsels are often depicted
chasing away serenading suitors or shielding themselves from knights in the protective arms of
monsters. In his children’s books, ogres fall madly in love with each other and the ugly inhabitants
of a “rotten island” are “very happy at being unhappy.” Steig’s empathy for the underdog is both
intense and genuine, which partly explains why his work appeals to children.
The artist’s ideal of social justice, instilled in him by his parents, finds its most vivid expression in
his children’s books. To communicate meaningful concepts to a young audience, Steig populates his
fanciful stories with animal protagonists who embark on quests of self-discovery, struggle with their
emotions, and survive through self-reliance. “I think using animals emphasizes the fact that the story
is symbolical—about human behavior,” Steig once said. “And kids get the idea right away that this is
not just a story, but that it’s saying something about life on earth.” Steig’s favorite book as a child
was Pinocchio, which may account for why his tales are filled with magical transformations. Written
in poetic language and filled with hope, his literature for children raises universal questions that are
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often set aside by adults. Ever sensitive to the child’s point of view, Steig refuses to patronize his
young readers and acknowledges their sophistication and love of learning by introducing complex
words while keeping them utterly absorbed.
On Wall—Left to right
Untitled
Similar version published in pen and ink in The New Yorker, October 31, 1970
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Family Reunion
1978–80
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
This drawing features a reunion of characters from a number of Steig’s children’s books including
the mouse Amos atop the whale Boris from Amos & Boris (1971), the dog protagonist of Dominic
(1972), Gawain, the goose, and Derek, the mouse, from The Real Thief (1973), the pig Farmer Palmer
and “his hired hand,” the donkey Ebenezer, from Farmer Palmer’s Wagon Ride (1974), the mouse Abel
and his wife Amanda from Abel’s Island (1976), Pearl, the pig, from The Amazing Bone (1976), and
Kate and her husband-turned-dog, Caleb, from Caleb & Kate (1977).
The Round Table
Similar version published in “King Arthur and His Knights” series in The New Yorker, December 21,
1968
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of Maggie Steig
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Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969)
One of Steig’s most beloved tales for children, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969) captured the
prestigious Caldecott Medal and earned him instant recognition in the world of children’s literature.
The tender story is filled with ingenuity and gentle humor. On a rainy Saturday Sylvester, a young
donkey who loves to collect pebbles, finds a perfectly round and red one that turns out to be
magical. On his way home, he wishes to become a rock in order to escape a hungry lion. Hopelessly
trapped in his rock-self, Sylvester witnesses the change of seasons, which Steig depicts in lush
watercolors. One day his grief-stricken parents, trying to cheer themselves, head for Strawberry Hill.
What ensues is a picnic filled with surprises and a wonderful reunion.
“Sylvester Duncan lived with his mother and father at Acorn Road in Oatsdale”
Preliminary illustration for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of Jeanne Steig
“As he was crossing Strawberry Hill”
Final illustration for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“And there was Sylvester, a rock on Strawberry Hill”
Final illustration for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“‘Oh, how I wish he were here with us on this lovely May day,’ said Mrs. Duncan”
Preliminary illustration for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of Lucy Steig
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In discussing Sylvester’s story, Steig said, “Many kids . . . feel locked up inside themselves—
misunderstood and armored—trying to be human beings. In Sylvester the child is unlocked by the
love of the parents, which brings him out of himself.”
The book encourages young readers to think of situations in which odds are against them while
providing a hopeful resolution.
“At dawn, they went about inquiring of all the neighbors”
Final illustration for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
When Sylvester does not return home, his worried parents set out in search of their son. After
inquiring with neighbors in the scene shown here, they head to the police station. The artist’s
depiction of the policemen as pigs resulted in attempts to have his book removed from libraries. (A
preliminary version of the scene can be viewed in the dummy book on display nearby). Steig
answered back in a letter to the editor of The New York Times: “I am not the kind of man who would
trouble children with political propaganda.” With help from the American Library Association’s
Office of Intellectual Freedom, the controversy eventually subsided.
Exhibition Case
Dummy book for The Really Rotten Island
Book originally published as The Bad Island (1969)
Later republished as Rotten Island (1984)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper; pasted typewritten text
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Preliminary illustration for Roland the Minstrel Pig (1968)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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This is likely the first sketch ever created by Steig for a children’s book. Following the publication of
Roland the Minstrel Pig in 1968, Steig wrote in an article for The New York Times: “I remember that the
impulse [to create a picture book] started to gain energy with the vision of some sort of animal
hanging by a rope from the branch of a tree. . . .The animal . . . turned out on the screen of my
mind to be a pig . . . because no other animal . . . would hang with an appropriate helplessness and
be properly, passively limp.”
Dummy book for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (1969)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
I N-V U.
Final illustration for C D B! (2000)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Steig’s first book for children, C D B!, originally published in pen and ink in 1968, is a book of
riddles with charming illustrations. Steig devised a playful system by which words were deciphered
through the sounds of letters; he would later revisit this method in the sequel, C D C? (1984). One
critic wrote, “‘C D B!’ Got it? Say it quickly in a kind of early Brooklynese—‘see de bee.’” The
illustration on view reflects Steig’s deep love of sweets. “It was impossible for anyone . . . to know
him well and not enter into some form of candy conspiracy with him,” recalled his daughter Maggie.
Letter from William Steig to Bob Krauss
April 25, 1969
Handwritten on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
In order to make his case for the publication of The Bad Speller (1970), Steig wrote this letter to his
publisher, Bob Krauss, with intentionally incorrect spelling. Although the book was published the
following year, Steig’s suggestion of featuring this letter as an introduction was not implemented.
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The book, a C D B! spin-off that never reached the popularity of its predecessor, features funny penand-ink illustrations with captions such as: “Duk rydng horsbak on a beegl” (Duck riding horseback
on a beagle).
The Bad Island (1969)
In Steig’s masterful picture book The Bad Island, a landscape of toads-spitting volcanoes is populated
by ghastly creatures including insects “as big as barracudas—goggle-eyed with chopping mandibles,
bug-eyed and hairy, with stinging tails and clacking shells covered with grit and petrified sauerkraut.”
The appearance of a flower mars the perfectly ugly place, setting the stage for a grand battle with
“every rotten one for his own rotten self against every rotten one else.” Published under the title The
Bad Island in 1969, the book was later reprinted with a revised text under Steig’s original title Rotten
Island (1984), which had earlier been deemed inappropriate for young readers. For the only time in a
children’s picture book, Steig allowed his imagination to run wild, without ever having to repeat a
single character. Painted in electric colors, the book’s illustrations stand in stark contrast with Steig’s
pastoral scenes for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, also published in 1969, a number of which are on
display nearby.
On Wall—Left to right
“Battles raged”
Final illustration for The Bad Island (1969)
Later published as Rotten Island (1984)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of Jeanne Steig
“The denizens of this . . . rotten island were monsters”
Final illustration for The Bad Island (1969)
Later published as Rotten Island (1984)
Pen and ink and watercolor on pasted paper
Collection of Jeanne Steig
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Amos and Boris (1971)
Steig’s early desire “to be a seaman like Melville” is vicariously realized through Amos and Boris
(1971), the tale of friendship between a mouse sailor thrown overboard and a whale eager to help
the rodent in distress. Reminiscent of Aesop’s fable “The Lion and the Mouse,” this enchanting
book is full of wonder, suspense, and superbly wrought language.
Lying on the deck of his sailboat, Amos the mouse, “a little speck of a living thing in the vast living
universe, felt thoroughly akin to it all.” When Boris the whale is washed ashore by a storm and
stranded on a beach, Steig describes him as “breaded with sand.”
On Wall—Left to right
Preliminary illustrations for Amos and Boris (1971)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Amos is seasick the first day out
Preliminary illustration for Amos and Boris (1971)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“Amos lay down in the sun, and being worn to a frazzle, he was soon asleep”
Final illustration for Amos and Boris (1971)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Amos’s family tries to keep Boris moist
Preliminary illustration for Amos and Boris (1971)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Abel’s Island (1976)
A Newbery Honor Book, Abel’s Island draws inspiration from Daniel Defoe’s eighteenth-century
novel Robinson Crusoe. Steig’s book surveys the doings of Abelard Hassam Di Chirico Flint, a newlywed Edwardian mouse. Named after painters Childe Hassam and Giorgio de Chirico, Steig’s rodent
hero discovers his resourcefulness when stranded on a deserted island and then finds his way back
to his beloved Amanda. Published soon after the artist’s marriage to Jeanne Steig, his wife of thirty
years to whom he dedicates the book, the story lyrically communicates the bliss of early marital
life—a departure from Steig’s cartoons of battling couples. The story is emblematic of the artist’s
own journey from difficult middle years to his later life.
Abel, yearning for his lover, imagines “a renewed life in society that would include productive work,
his art” even as he remembers “his year on the island, a unique and separate segment of his life that
he was now glad he had gone through, though he was also glad it was over.”
“The feeling that he could visit Amanda in dreams haunted Abel”
Final illustration for Abel’s Island (1976)
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
The following two images are framed together
“Drenched, cold, exhausted, he still held on to his nail” (left)
“Abel made himself snowshoes” (right)
Final illustrations for Abel’s Island (1976)
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“Abel! Oh, dear Abel! It’s you! It’s really, really you!”
Final illustrations for Abel’s Island (1976)
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Exhibition case
Preliminary text and sketches for Dominic (1972)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Dummy book for Amos and the Three Roads
An early version of Dominic (1972)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Steig first conceived of Dominic as a book with three storylines each linked to a different path the
hero may choose to take. In the final story, however, Dominic encounters a witch who foretells his
future and points to the two roads ahead of him, one devoid of magic or surprises, and a second one
filled with “marvelous, unbelievable things,” which Steig’s adventurous canine sets out to explore.
Sketches for Abel’s Island (1976)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of Jeanne Steig
Dominic (1972)
In Dominic, Steig’s first novel for older children, the protagonist, a kind and resourceful canine with a
musical streak, chooses a path of adventure that somewhat mirrors Steig’s own, though the artist
saw the figure of his own father in the heroic mutt. Dominic bids farewell to his friends by “sniffing
them with love” in his parting message and embarks on a perilous yet rewarding journey.
By fighting the evil Doomsday Gang, nursing elderly Mr. Badger, an ailing swine, and sharing the
treasure he later inherits from the pig with a number of animals that cross his path, Dominic is
engaged in the traditional Jewish concept of tikkun olam, or repair of the world. By the time the story
is over, the utterly charming dog has fulfilled a great number of mitzvot, or commandments, and has
embraced tzedakah, or charity.
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“Dominic was inspired to take out his piccolo and play”
Final illustration for Dominic (1972)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“He saw a very old, very wrinkled pig, very unpink and unwell-looking, lying in bed”
Final illustration for Dominic (1972)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Doctor De Soto (1982)
A David-and-Goliath tale of an ingenious mouse who outsmarts a debonair fox, Doctor De Soto is
one of Steig’s most charming stories for children. Helped by Mrs. De Soto, his sidekick and
assistant, the mouse dentist is hoisted into the wide-open mouths of cows and donkeys by a pulley,
armed with his drill and rubber boots. Although the De Sotos’ outdoor sign clearly states “Cats &
Other Dangerous Animals Not Accepted for Treatment,” the sobbing fox entreats them to relieve
his pain. The conclusion is as pure gold as the tooth Mrs. De Soto molds and polishes for the foxy
patient and the vibrant illustrations are a reflection of the artist’s delectable sense of color. Steig,
who received a Newbery Honor for the book, later continued the adventures of his mouse hero in
Doctor De Soto Goes to Africa (1992).
“‘Please!’ the fox wailed”
Final illustration for Doctor De Soto (1982)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of Melinda Franceschini
“That night the De Sotos lay awake worrying”
Final illustration for Doctor De Soto (1982)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of Melinda Franceschini
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“Doctor De Soto climbed up the ladder and bravely entered the fox’s mouth”
Final illustration for Doctor De Soto (1982)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of Melinda Franceschini
“For extra-large animals, he had a special room”
Final illustration for Doctor De Soto (1982)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of Melinda Franceschini
Exhibition Case
Dummy book for Doctor De Soto (1982)
Pen and ink on paper; pasted typewritten text
Collection of the William Steig Estate
The Zabajaba Jungle (1987)
The young boy who saved his parents from robbers, when arriving “in the nick of time” in Steig’s
cartoon series “Dreams of Glory,” returns as Leonard in The Zabajaba Jungle. The hero overcomes
the temptations of a lush forest and the dangers posed by a band of mandrills to free his mother and
father from their imprisonment. A seminal work in the artist’s career, the book covers enormous
territory, alluding to the biblical story of original sin and addressing sexual awakening, parent-child
relations, societal mores, and existential questions such as the one posed by the narrator as Leonard
enters the gaping mouth of a monster: “So others were here before him.” The book rewards multiple
readings and recaps many of the topics the artist dealt with throughout his career.
“He finds a rock and smashes a hole in the bottle”
Final illustration for The Zabajaba Jungle (1987)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Throughout his career, Steig drew people inside bottles. Sometimes these are single figures
desperately seeking to free themselves, but more often they embody loneliness and alienation. In
some examples, couples are seen kissing, but still separated by the bottles (see reproduction),
prisoners of their own fears and shortcomings. Rare is the instance in which Steig depicts man and
woman inside the same bottle as in The Zabajaba Jungle.
“Leonard takes some fireworks out of his knapsack and sets off an awesome display”
Final illustration for The Zabajaba Jungle (1987)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“One more whack and he breaks through”
Final illustration for The Zabajaba Jungle (1987)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Exhibition case
Page with sequence of scenes for preliminary version of The Zabajaba Jungle (1987)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Dummy books for preliminary versions of Solomon the Rusty Nail (1985)
and The Zabajaba Jungle (1987)
Pen and ink on paper; pasted typewritten text
Collection of the William Steig Estate
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Steig thought about creating a story with a rabbit as protagonist, as
seen in the two dummy books on view here, featuring early versions of Solomon the Rusty Nail (1985)
and The Zabajaba Jungle (1987). While Solomon’s story remained that of a rabbit hero who discovers
that he can turn into a rusty nail if he scratches his nose and wiggles his toes at exactly the same
time, The Zabajaba Jungle evolved from the tale of a rabbit named Leonard into that of a boy’s
adventures in an alluring forest. In its early version, however, the story begins with a distraught
Leonard leaving his home to enter the fantasy realm of the jungle—a tale akin to Maurice Sendak’s
Where the Wild Things Are (1963). Steig’s preliminary title for Leonard’s story was “Out and Back,”
but he noted on the cover of the dummy, “I understand this title resembles [the] title of [a] book
Sendak is working on,” a reference to Outside Over There (1981).
Opposite Wall
“He woke up surrounded with sky, but he was unafraid”
Final illustration for Gorky Rises (1980)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Magic abounds in Steig’s stories for children including that of a charming young pig named Pearl,
and of Gorky, a frog with a penchant for scientific experiments. Pearl is saved from robbers and a
very hungry fox by a talking bone. Gorky, with magic potion in hand, takes a fantastic aerial trip
over green pastures, blue skies, and populated towns that culminates in a difficult but rewarding
landing. Both books are filled with vibrant watercolors. The Amazing Bone, which earned Steig a
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Caldecott Honor, is his first book for children to feature a female heroine—a conscious decision by
an artist who acknowledged his identification with male characters.
Shrek! (1990)
Shrek!—which means “fear” in Yiddish—is the irresistible story of an ill-mannered yet lovable green
ogre who revels in his loathsome appearance and in the damage he can inflict. When this anti-hero
meets an even uglier and warty princess, the two passionately fall for each other, defying the fairytale notion that such feelings are reserved for the young and beautiful. For the artist, the pairing
communicates the essence of true love: “Shrek snapped at her nose. She nipped at his ear. They
clawed their way into each other’s arms. Like fire and smoke, these two belonged together.” Shrek’s
quest for his repulsive bride results in hilarious encounters with a peasant, a dragon, and a donkey,
and plenty of playful verse including “Pheasant, peasant? What a pleasant present!”
On display nearby are a number of Steig’s final drawings for the picture book as well as his
preparatory dummy book.
Steig’s topsy-turvy story inspired the Academy-Award winning film Shrek (2001) and its two
sequels—Shrek 2 (2004) and Shrek the Third (2007)—as well as an upcoming Broadway musical. On
view on the opposite wall are some of the character studies drawn by animators at DreamWorks, the
studio that produced the Shrek movies. A number of models are also on display in the exhibition
case at center. In preparation for the adaptation of Shrek! into a film, producer John Williams was in
contact with Steig, sending him sketches developed by animators. In turn, the artist suggested new
scenes to expand his original text into a movie script—like having Shrek’s mother worry about him
“like a Jewish mother”—and furnished references for costumes and backgrounds. Shrek’s journey
from the page to the screen resulted in the amplification of Steig’s original story and the addition of
dramatic elements such as the ogre’s occasional bouts of low self-esteem. In the picture book and in
the films, Shrek’s imperfections are what make him the perfect hero, because a flawed hero, in
Steig’s view, is the best kind.
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Exhibition case
Dummy book for Shrek! (1990)
Pen and ink on paper; and pasted typewritten text
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Wall—left to right
Final cover illustration for Shrek! (1990)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“One day Shrek’s parents hissed things over”
Final illustration for Shrek! (1990)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“He dreamed he was in a field where children frolicked and birds warbled”
Final illustration for Shrek! (1990)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“‘You jabbering jackass!’ Shrek screamed”
Final illustration for Shrek! (1990)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“All around him were hundreds of hideous creatures”
Final illustration for Shrek! (1990)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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“There before him was the most stunningly ugly princess on the surface of the planet”
Final illustration for Shrek! (1990)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
DreamWorks material on wall
Character study for Shrek
Artist: Mike Ploog
DreamWorks Animation LLC
1996
Grease pencil on paper
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00001005
Character study for Shrek
Artist: Miles Teves
DreamWorks Animation LLC
1996
Graphite on paper
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation
LLC, SH00001003
Character studies for Shrek
Artist: Mike Ploog
DreamWorks Animation LLC
1996
Pencil on tracing paper
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00002485
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Costume and color studies for Shrek
Artist: Barry Atkinson
DreamWorks Animation LLC
ca. 1998–1999
Watercolor on paper
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00002840
Character studies for Donkey
Artist: Chris Aguirre
DreamWorks Animation LLC
c. 1998–1999
Grease pencil on paper
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00002608
Character studies for Donkey
Artist: Carter Goodrich
DreamWorks Animation LLC
c. 1998–1999
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00001382
Fiona Not Convinced that Shrek is Her Real “Prince”
Character study for Princess Fiona
Artist: Pres Romanillos
DreamWorks Animation LLC
1998
Pencil on paper
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Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00005046
While in Steig’s original tale the princess makes her appearance at the end of the story and remains
“the most stunningly ugly” creature ever beheld by Shrek, her character, named Fiona and vocally
rendered by actress Cameron Diaz, is significantly expanded for adaptation to the screen. The victim
of a spell, Fiona is condemned to live a double life—by day a fairy-tale beauty, and by night an ogre.
In the spirit of Steig’s original story, it is “ugly” Fiona that conquers Shrek’s heart.
Costume Study for Princess Fiona as Ogre
Artist: Isis Mussenden
DreamWorks Animation LLC
1999
Mixed medium on paper
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00006989
Exhibition Case with Steig and Dreamworks Correspondence
Letter from William Steig to DreamWorks producer John Williams
February 28, 1996
Handwritten on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Notes with ideas for animation of Shrek! (1990)
Handwritten and typewritten on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Over the course of several months in 1996, Steig steadily supplied DreamWorks producer John
Williams with suggestions for the amplification of his picture book Shrek! into a movie script. On
one of the typed pages faxed to Williams, on display here, Steig wrote: “Shrek is raising hell, killing
dragons, etc. Every once in a while we see his mother worrying about him, like a Jewish mother.”
Steig also suggested having Shrek’s mother blame her husband “for sending a young inexperienced
boy out into the dangerous world,” after which “they quarrel violently,” a scene clearly related to
Steig’s life-long preoccupation with battling couples.
Letter from William Steig to DreamWorks producer John Williams
February 27, 1996
Handwritten on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
In this letter, Steig expressed his delight over a number of character studies for Shrek developed by
DreamWorks animators that Williams had faxed to him.
The original drawings for a number of those studies can be viewed on the wall to the right.
Letter from William Steig to DreamWorks producer John Williams
July 5, 1996
Handwritten on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Exhibition case with Dream Works models (counter-clockwise)
Model for Shrek
DreamWorks Animation LLC
c. 1996
Polyurethane resin
Collection of Jeanne Steig
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Model for Shrek
DreamWorks Animation LLC
ca. 1998–99
Polyurethane resin
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00001581
Model for Shrek
DreamWorks Animation LLC
c. 1998–99
Clay
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00002218
Model for Shrek’s Swamp House
Artist: Douglas Rogers
DreamWorks Animation LLC
1997–98
Styrofoam, modeling clay, papier mâché, coconut grass matting, string, cotton, balsa wood, and
acrylic paint
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00007376
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Model for Shrek
DreamWorks Animation LLC
c. 1998–99
Clay
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00002555
Model for Donkey
Artist: Tom Hester
DreamWorks Animation LLC
c. 1998–99
Polyurethane resin
Shrek ® & © 2001 DreamWorks Animation LLC, used courtesy of DreamWorks Animation LLC,
SH00002654
Brave Irene (1986)
Steig’s only book for children to feature a young girl as protagonist, Brave Irene is a story of courage
and triumph over life’s obstacles, akin to the adventures of the hero in Steig’s “Dreams of Glory”
cartoon series. Irene, the daughter of a seamstress who has fallen ill, must defy a terrible snowstorm
to deliver the dress her mother had made for a duchess to wear to a royal ball. With spunk and
bravado, Irene snaps back at the wind which “decided to put on a show,” and ultimately reaches the
palace by using her wits, transforming the dress box into a sled. The artist renders the snowy scenes
in superb watercolors that make the festive ball scene even more glorious.
“Mrs. Bobbin, the dressmaker, was tired and had a bad headache”
Preliminary illustration for Brave Irene (1986)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“She laid the box down and climbed aboard”
Final illustration for Brave Irene (1986)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
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Collection of the William Steig Estate
“She pounced and took hold, but the ill-tempered wind ripped the box open”
Final illustration for Brave Irene (1986)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“What a wonderful ball it was!”
Final illustration for Brave Irene (1986)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Epilogue: When Everybody wore a Hat
When Everybody Wore a Hat marks the conclusion of William Steig’s personal and artistic trajectory,
taking him back full circle to where it all began—his own childhood and the world that would
inspire him to create the “Small Fry” drawings of his early career. As in many of his children’s books
in which the hero concludes a journey by returning home to rejoin loved ones, the protagonist of
When Everybody Wore a Hat—that is, Steig himself—goes back to the safety of his family. As he once
said, “Coming back to a family in the end is natural for kids.”
The book, published a few months before Steig’s death in 2003, surveys the artist’s early life, telling
of a time when “there were almost no electric lights, cars or telephones—and definitely no TV,”
when “there were lots of immigrants” and “no such a thing as a hatless human being.” A number of
drawings featured in When Everybody Wore a Hat first appeared in pen-and-ink-and-wash form in The
New Yorker in 1959, under the Proustian heading “A la recherche du temps perdu,” and were later
published in the compilation Continuous Performance (1963).
Many of the drawings were originally accompanied by different captions, which Steig modified in
preparation for their publication for children. On view here are both pen-and-ink-and-wash originals
and drawings later colored by the artist for inclusion in the children’s book, as well as sketches and
autobiographical notes that shed light on the illustrations.
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The style of these drawings—both naïve and mature—strengthens the connection to Steig the
child without ever losing sight of Steig the artist, a feat that only an accomplished master could
sustain.
“I got my first haircut at Ditchick’s Barbershop”
Final illustration for When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Original version, in pen and ink and wash on paper, c. 1959
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“The Photographer with the Pony Came Every Spring”
Final illustration for When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Original version, in pen and ink and wash, c. 1959
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“Even though it was on the other side of the world, we all knew there was a big war going on in
Europe”
Final illustration for When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Originally published in pen and ink and wash in The New Yorker, September 26, 1959 as part of the
series “A la Recherche du temps perdu”
Collection of the William Steig Estate
People from Europe Wore Different Clothes
Final illustration for When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003)
Pen and ink and watercolor on paper
Originally published in pen and ink and wash in The New Yorker, September 26, 1959 as part of the
series “A la Recherche du temps perdu”
Collection of the William Steig Estate
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Esther Bannerman Had a Big Mouth
c. 1959
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Color version published in When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003)
Collection of the William Steig Estate
The artist’s daughter Maggie recalled a story related to young Esther (Essie) Haberman, rather than
Bannerman, who was Steig’s childhood neighbor. One hot summer day Steig “climbed up the fire
escape to call [for Essie] at the kitchen window. It was wide open. Mrs. Haberman was washing the
floors with her long skirt pulled up onto her back, her big bare bottom in the air. Stumbling
backwards, Bill fell some distance.
The doctor was called for, and Bill, conscious but stunned, was examined, and pronounced
physically intact.”
Danny was always clowning
c. 1959
Pen and ink and wash on paper
Color version published in When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003)
Collection of the William Steig Estate
Exhibition Case
Pages with autobiographical notes
Undated
Handwritten on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
“Sophie Losch (with whom Mom once worked at a dressmaking shop) always brought candy for the
kids”
Preliminary drawing for When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003)
Pen and ink on paper
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Collection of the William Steig Estate
Sketches and notes for When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
This page includes a number of studies for the scene featuring Steig’s father listening to opera. “His
favorite singer was Caruso,” recalled the artist. “He listened to the performances on the phonograph
and occasionally he’d get a couple of tickets and take either Mom or one of us kids. He even painted
scenes from Rigoletto.”
“The folks had season tickets for “family circle”
Preliminary drawing for When Everybody Wore a Hat (2003)
Pen and ink on paper
Collection of the William Steig Estate
####
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