364. New England Primer Parody

February 25, 2012

Q: In one issue there was a parody of the old New England Primer, and the only entry I can remember (from the parody) was “A Mormon’s Wives ye Devil Swives” Can’t remember who illustrated it, but it was utterly brilliant. So anyway, in which NatLamp issue did this memorable piece appeared?

A: “A Mormon’s Wives ye Devil Swives” is from “Protestant Section” from the December 1974 (The Judeo-Christian Tradition). The illustrator was Randall Enos Gil Eisner. The section was a kind of grab bag of humor aimed at Protestants.

Comments

Randall Enos did many if not most of the woodcut-type illustrations that ran in the Lampoon. I remembered the "Protestant Section" woodcuts being slightly more deadpan than the usual Enos, so I dug out the NatLamp DVD. Turns out the pictures were done by Gil Eisner, who receives a credit next to "Jewes we kille / To serve God's Wille."

—Stan

March 9, 2012 2:43 pm

Oops, thanks for the correction. I just assumed they were by Enos since he worked for them so much and it looked like his style. Didn't realize Eisner ever worked for them. Curious.

—Mark

March 31, 2012 10:50 am

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