Carl Rose

Carl Rose (1903-1971) was a mainstay of the New Yorker, especially in its formative years.  His most famous cartoon bears the unique distinction of having infiltrated American vernacular.  In the cartoon, a mother at dinner says to her young daughter, “It's broccoli, dear.” Her daughter answers, “I say it's spinach, and I say the hell with it.” At the time the cartoon was published in 1928, broccoli was a bit of a novelty in New York, and the phrase “I say it’s spinach” became an alternate way of calling something “nonsense”.  In 1932, Irving Berlin’s popular Broadway revue Face The Music included the song “I Say It's Spinach (And The Hell With It)” and Elizabeth Hawes adopted the caption for her critique of the clothing design industry, “Fashion is Spinach” in 1938.  Unfortunately, Rose can take credit only for the drawing; the caption was added by E.B. White.  Rose’s reputation as a New Yorker cartoonist is nonetheless secure.  He published 543 cartoons and 4 covers from 1925 (the year of the magazine’s launch) through 1971.  His work also appeared in Popular Science and The Saturday Evening Post and in illustrations for Bennett Cerf's best-selling books, “Try and Stop Me” and its sequel “Shake Well Before Using” as well as the supposed autobiography of actor Bob Hope, “Have Tux, Will Travel” (which was actually ghost-written by journalist Pete Martin).