Riposte Card No. 6: Hidden happiness!
Or, Jerome K. Jerome by Eugenia Viti
We all imagined Waldo to be miserable. Thanks to Eugenia Viti, we know for sure. For August’s Riposte Card — the 6th in the series of specially commissioned postcard art prints for paid subscribers of Get Wit Quick — Eugenia opted to illustrate this funny-because-it’s-true quip:
“If you are foolish enough to be contented, don’t show it, but grumble with the rest.”
— Jerome K. Jerome
Which immediately prompted the question: What did the K stand for? And the answer is Klapka, a variation on his actual surname Clapp.
And which then naturally leads to the query: Did he ever meet Ford Madox Ford? In my brief search for satisfaction on this note, I found Wikipedia’s List of People With Reduplicated Names, which includes this excellent poem:
Mutual Problem
Said Jerome K. Jerome to Ford Madox Ford,
“There's something, old boy, that I’ve always abhorred:
When people address me and call me, ‘Jerome’,
Are they being standoffish, or too much at home?”
Said Ford, “I agree;
It’s the same thing with me.”— William Cole
Eugenia’s first sketch didn’t include Grumpy Waldo, so I was thrilled to see his inclusion in the final postcard.
Ms Viti is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and the author of Be Pregnant: An Illustrated Companion for Moms-to-Be. Here’s absolutely everything else you need to know about Ms. Viti, and remember that all of this will be on the test:
What's your go-to item in a well-stocked stationery store?
Precise V7 fine rolling pens. I love to draw with these even though they aren't really drawing pens, they have secret powers.
Where do you go for inspiration and/or information?
Inspiration comes often from a conversation or seeing something funny. Like those giant water bottles we saw all of a sudden early this year. It's fun to find patterns in things, but it can really come from anywhere. Information, I like to take deep dives into books with one theme in mind, like the book Breath by James Nestor. I think it does the brain good to get into deep thinking when so often our modern world pushes us quick “Likes” (which I also am into).
Is there one joke, witticism, or aphorism you live by?
My high school AP English teacher asked us the first week of senior year. My quote was, “You gotta live like you’re on vacation” by the band KISS (from the song “Lick it Up”). I remember her saying something along the lines of that being a dangerous idea, but I still appreciate the sentiment.
What's the best thing to put on toast?
This one is really where the truth comes out. There’s so many delicious and amazing things to put on toast and currently I’m very hungry and almost 7 months pregnant so it's a bit of a difficult question. I think that if I take this question seriously, what is really the best thing? Obviously butter.
What work are you most proud of, and how can people support it?
I'm very proud of my book, Be Pregnant: An Illustrated Companion for Moms-to-Be! Please support by purchasing a copy.