Paul Peter Porges
Paul Peter Porges (February 7, 1927 - December 20, 2016) is an American cartoonist whose work has appeared in many places, including The New Yorker, MAD Magazine, Harper's and the Saturday Evening Post.
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Early life[edit]
Paul Peter Porges was born in Vienna in 1927.[1] Following Hitler's 1938 invasion of Austria, his shopkeeper parents sent him and his older brother Kurt to a children's camp near Paris in March 1939, Château de la Guette de Germaine de Rothschild. In 1940–41 he was obliged to move throughout France to keep ahead of the Nazis' movements, wandering through the countryside alone at the age of thirteen. 67 years later, Porges remembered, "It was fantastic! But don't tell anyone!"[2]
Despite his movements, Porges was ultimately captured and interned in a deportation camp. Porges escaped by hiding in a garbage collection, and was smuggled to Switzerland along with a group of other juvenile refugees in 1942.[3] The Swiss authorities discovered the group and sent everyone but Porges back to France; Porges was spared because he was the only one younger than sixteen. He remained there for the duration of the war, attending art school, receiving his certificat d'etude, and meeting his future wife, Lucie Eisenstab. The two had been born months apart in the same hospital back in Vienna.
Immigration to the United States[edit]
Brother Kurt Porges had managed to reach England, and eventually joined the U.S. Army. After the war, he obtained a visa for Paul Peter Porges, who moved to America. He also got visas for their parents, both of whom had been sent to a concentration camp but survived.[4]
Porges' wedding to Eisenstab was delayed by a stint in the army during the Korean War. While in uniform, Porges drew cartoons for army newspapers; after being discharged, he began to establish himself as a gag cartoonist for magazines.[5]
Work at Mad magazine[edit]
After a few earlier sales, he became a regular contributor to Mad magazine in 1971, where he eventually created nearly 200 articles. His first contribution to MAD was the cover idea for issue #106, in 1966. Over the next four decades he contributed over 200 articles to Mad.[1] Porges was primarily a writer for the first seven years, but 'Mad began using his artwork more regularly in 1978; between 1986 and 1993, Porges appeared in 52 consecutive issues.[6] His last feature appeared in Mad #500.[1]
Though Porges has used different illustrative styles in his career, he is perhaps best known for an energetic line combined with monochrome wash.[citation needed]
Personal life and death[edit]
Porges was married to Lucie Porges. Porges died on December 20, 2016. who preceded him in death. They are survived by two daughters.[1]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Paul Peter Porges, MAD Writer and Artist, RIP". Mad. December 22, 2016.
- ^ http://www.viennareview.net/on-the-town/on-display/more-style-humor
- ^ http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c74-page12.html
- ^ http://theholocaustmuseum.info/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=new1_flypage.tpl&product_id=964&category_id=7&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=236
- ^ http://issuu.com/cartoonstudies/docs/howardgoodwin
- ^ http://users.ipfw.edu/slaubau/madstreak.htm
External links[edit]
- Complete list of Porges' work for MAD Magazine
- Biography and family tree
- Photo of Porges, age 13, during his wartime flight to Nice
- Photo of Porges and other cartoonists in the mid-1950s, on a weekly "submit" day
