Carolita Johnson and Michael Crawford

Above: a photo of Carolita Johnson and Michael Crawford in their Inwood apartment by Tina Fineberg.

"Where Punchlines Pay the Rent," and article for the New York Times by Constance Rosenblum, showcases the lives and habitats of New Yorker magazine cartoonists Carolita Johnson and Michael Crawford.

"The two became good friends by way of Mr. Crawford’s admiration for Ms. Johnson’s work.

"'She had a great drawing style,' he said. And, he thought to himself, “The New Yorker could use a woman with her offbeat wit.'

"He encouraged her to try drawing cartoons for the magazine, and his instincts proved correct. It took her only five weeks to sell her first drawing to The New Yorker; it had taken him half a dozen years.

"Eventually, a relationship blossomed. They are not married, but as Ms. Johnson describes the arrangement, 'we just like to say that by the power invested in Michael and Carolita, we pronounced ourselves Michael and Carolita.'"

Hat tip to John Klossner for the link.