Illustration of Shrek walking through country side and animals and people running the other way.
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William Steig, Illustration for Shrek! (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1990 William Steig.

William Steig

Hailed as the “King of Cartoons,” William Steig (1907–2003) produced a staggering 2,600 drawings and 123 covers for The New Yorker during his lifetime. His widow, Jeanne Steig, called him a “tragicomic artist.” An inveterate New Yorker, Steig was the son of Jewish immigrants who encouraged his artistic interests. He published his first children’s book, Roland the Minstrel Pig (1968), at the age of 61. Just two years later he was awarded the Caldecott Medal for the picture book classic Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. After his death, Steig’s cheerfully repulsive ogre Shrek become a Hollywood star.

In 2010, Jeanne Steig generously donated 1,400 artworks by her late husband. It is the Museum’s largest collection by a single artist other than Eric Carle. The Museum organized the exhibitions Heart and Humor: The Picture-Book Art of William Steig in 2004 and William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble: A Golden Anniversary in 2019.

Illustration of two children sleeping and text R U C-P? / S, I M. / I M 2.

William Steig, Illustration for CDB! (Aladdin). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1968 William Steig.

Illustration of boy giving girl flower and text A P-N-E 4 U.

William Steig, Illustration for CDB! (Aladdin). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1968 William Steig.

Illustration of pig with guitar leaving a group of other animals.

Steig published his first children’s book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968 at the age of 61. In this scene, Roland bids goodbye to his friends to seek fame and fortune as a singer. Their forlorn faces and the elephant’s lone tear leave no doubt of their sadness. Expressive animal characters are signatures of Stieg’s picture books.

William Steig, Illustration for Roland the Minstrel Pig (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1968 William Steig.
Illustration of donkeys embracing and celebrating at picnic scene.

William Steig, Illustration for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (Aladdin). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1969 William Steig.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble has held a special place in readers’ hearts for 50 years. Steig’s fable about Sylvester Duncan, a donkey who accidentally turns himself into a rock, is an emotional tale of discovery, loss, and reunion. Above all, it is a story about the love of family. This is the book’s climatic scene, when Sylvester is finally reunited with his parents. Mrs. Duncan embraces Sylvester, lifting him off the ground, while Mr. Duncan dances with joy. 
 
Illustration of mouse in boat on choppy water.

William Steig, Alternate illustration for Amos & Boris (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1971 William Steig.

Illustration of beached whale being rescued by mice.

Amos and Boris follow the tradition of stories in which little friends can be big heroes. When Amos the mouse falls out of his boat, Boris the whale comes to his rescue. How can Amos ever repay him? Readers find out when Boris is beached by a tidal wave.

William Steig, Alternate illustration for Amos & Boris (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1971 William Steig.
Illustration of dog in king's robes hugging duck and crying.

William Steig, Illustration for The Real Thief (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1973 William Steig.

Illustration of pig in carriage.

William Steig, Illustration for Farmer Palmer’s Wagon Ride. Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1974 William Steig.

Illustration of mouse sitting in tree.

William Steig, Illustration for Abel’s Island (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1976 William Steig.

Illustration of frog at table.

William Steig, Illustration for Gorky Rises (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1980 William Steig.

Illustration of mice on ladder evaluating large mouse.

William Steig, Illustration for Doctor De Soto (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1982 William Steig.

The kind-hearted dentist mouse, Doctor De Soto, and his assistant wife agree they won’t treat patients who eat mice. Yet when they witness a fox suffering from a toothache, they decide to remove the bad tooth and replace it with a new tooth of gold. The fox, woozy under anesthesia, reveals his appetite for rodents. How will the De Sotos “outfox the fox”? 
Illustration of two characters imagining surreal landscape.

William Steig, Illustration for Yellow and Pink (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1984 William Steig.

Illustration of person watching scarf blow away in snowstorm.

William Steig, Illustration for Brave Irene (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1986 William Steig.

In Steig’s original fairy tale, Brave Irene, a dressmaker’s daughter named Irene Bobbin must forge through a snowstorm to deliver a beautiful ball gown to the duchess. Irene’s disbelief is heartfelt when the wind blows the dress away in this climatic scene. Steig’s expressive line and bowed, barren trees heighten the anxiety of the moment. 
Illustration of grumpy kid laying in wheelbarrow.

William Steig, Illustration for Spinky Sulks (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1988 William Steig.

Illustration of people at large feast.

William Steig, Illustration for Spinky Sulks (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1988 William Steig.

Illustration of Shrek walking through country side and animals and people running the other way.

William Steig, Illustration for Shrek! (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1990 William Steig.

Illustration of Shrek riding donkey down rural road.

William Steig, Illustration for Shrek! (Square Fish). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1990 William Steig.

Illustration of girl playing accordion and children running away.

William Steig, Illustration for Alpha Beta Chowder by Jeanne Steig (Atheneum). Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1992 William Steig.

Illustration of mom dragging child away from friends playing ball.

William Steig, Illustration for Grown-Ups Get to Do All the Driving. Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1995 William Steig.

Illustration of man sprinkling flour on kid lying on table.

William Steig, Illustration for Pete’s A Pizza. Gift of Jeanne Steig. © 1998 William Steig.

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William Steig

Known as the “King of Cartoons,” William Steig created over 1,000 illustrations for The New Yorker. He was awarded the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble in 1970, just two years after publishing his first picture book at the age of 61.