Playboy's First Cartoon To Be Auctioned Off

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Nov 19th 2007 at 3:02PM

Some art you buy for its beauty, some art you buy for investment and some you buy for a certain sense of nostalgia. This one, the first illustration from the first Playboy magazine, definitely falls into the third category. The first Playboy cartoon in 1953 by Ben Denison, marks the start of a tradition that has gone on to include artists such as Eldon Dedini, Jules Feiffer, Shel Silverstein and Gahan Wilson, It is being auctioned off by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas on December 12. The gouache on illustration board measures approximately 11" x 8-1/2" and is estimated to sell for $12,000 - $18,000.

Tags: art, cartoon, hugh hefner, illustration, playboy