LOS ANGELES, CA.- A rare Charles Addams original artwork depicting Boy Scouts, published in The New Yorker, will be auctioned by Nate D. Sanders Auctions on November 20, 2025. The illustration humorously depicts a wayward Boy Scout tying a hangman's noose to the alarm of the Scout Master, exemplifying Addams' signature technique of finding dark comedy in America's most wholesome institutions.
This artwork represents one of only three documented Boy Scout-themed illustrations among Addams' more than 1,300 cartoons created during his extraordinary 56-year tenure at The New Yorker (1932-1988). Boy Scout illustrations are particularly coveted by collectors as they epitomize Addams' cultural commentary on postwar America's emphasis on conformity—making innocent scouts complicit in or disturbed by macabre situations to challenge assumptions about normalcy.
The piece is rendered in Addams' signature ink and grisaille wash technique on a 15.125" x 11.125" sheet, signed by the artist at lower right. The grisaille method—a monochromatic painting technique using only shades of gray—perfectly suited Addams' gothic aesthetic, creating the stark, shadowy atmosphere that became his instantly recognizable style. The artwork is nicely preserved with only faint wear and toning, in near fine condition.
The auction comes at a time of strong market demand for Addams originals. His current world auction record stands at $87,500, achieved in 2021 for an Addams Family Christmas illustration. Recent comparable New Yorker cartoons have sold between $20,000 and $42,000, with Boy Scout themes commanding premium prices due to their scarcity.
Charles Addams (1912-1988) revolutionized American humor through his sophisticated blend of the grotesque and everyday life. Creator of The Addams Family, which debuted in The New Yorker in 1938, Addams influenced generations of artists including Tim Burton, Gary Larson, and Edward Gorey. His contributions earned him the Yale Humor Award, a Special Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America, and posthumous induction into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame.
During his tenure at The New Yorker, Addams created 64-68 cover illustrations and became one of the magazine's most essential contributors. In 1945, publisher R.H. Fleischmann wrote that Addams' "gooseflesh-creating subjects add a certain quality to our group of cartoons in each issue which is sorely missed and definitely unfavorably affects our business" when absent.
Major institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of the City of New York, and the Smithsonian Institution hold Addams' work in their permanent collections. The University of Pennsylvania, where Addams studied, named Charles Addams Fine Arts Hall in his honor in 2001.
