The Monday Tilley Watch takes a glancing look at the art and artists of the latest issue of The New Yorker
The Cartoonists and Cartoons
Fifteen cartoons, sixteen cartoonists (Emily Flake has a Sketchpad). No duos, that we know of. One newbie: Polly Adams, who is the 7th addition to the magazine’s cartoonist colosseum this year and the 171st cartoonist brought in since Emma Allen took the cartoon editor’s reins in May of 2017. The longest active contributing cartoonist in this issue is Roz Chast, whose first New Yorker cartoon appeared in the issue of July 3, 1978.
See the cartoons here in a slide show
This week’s Cartoon Caption Contest
The Rea Irvin Talk Watch:
The above perfect Rea Irvin Talk design that sat in place for 92 years was whisked away back in the Spring of 2017 to make way for — if you can believe it! — a redrawn version by a contemporary illustrator. The Spill continues to hope that Mr. Irvin’s work returns. Read more here.
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Rea Irvin’s A-Z Entry:
Rea Irvin (pictured above. Self portrait above from Meet the Artist) Born, San Francisco, 1881; died in the Virgin Islands,1972. Irvin was the cover artist for the New Yorker’s first issue, February 21, 1925. He was the magazine’s first art and only art supervisor (some refer to him as its first art editor) holding the position from 1925 until 1939 when James Geraghty assumed the title of art editor. Irvin then became art director and remained in that position until William Shawn officially succeeded Harold Ross in early 1952. Irvin’s last original work for the magazine was the magazine’s cover of July 12, 1958. The February 21, 1925 Eustace Tilley cover had been reproduced every year on the magazine’s anniversary until 1994, when R. Crumb’s Tilley-inspired cover appeared. Tilley has since reappeared, with other artists substituting from time-to-time. Number of New Yorker covers (not including the repeat appearances of the first cover every anniversary up to 1991): 179. Number of cartoons contributed: 261.