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
Eighteen new cartoons, nineteen cartoonists (Brendan Loper has a Sketchpad). No newbies. One duo, that we know of (the Spill counts duos as one cartoonist). The longest active cartoonist contributor in the issue is this cartoonist.
This week’s Cartoon Caption Contest (the new contest cartoon is by Mick Stevens)
The Rea Irvin Talk Watch:
Rea Irvin’s above perfect Talk design ran for 92 years before being replaced — no joke! — by a contemporary illustrator’s redrawn version. The Spill continues to hold out hope that Mr. Irvin’s work will return. Read more.
Speaking of Rea Irvin, it should be noted that this week’s cover (a tie-in to the issue’s Innovation & Tech theme), is a nod to Mr. Irvin’s cover for the debut issue of The New Yorker, shown below left. The cover artist for this week’s issue, below right, is Richard McGuire.
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): 163. Number of cartoons contributed: 261.